


Healing You

by mmorgan317



Category: Cobra Kai (Web Series)
Genre: Angst, Daniel whump, Hurt/Comfort, lawrusso, the boys have stuff to work out
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2021-01-21
Updated: 2021-02-04
Packaged: 2021-03-13 03:14:46
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 4
Words: 24,791
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28896465
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/mmorgan317/pseuds/mmorgan317
Summary: Kreese sends Tory and Robby to give a message to Daniel. Things do not go as planned. Daniel Whump. Eventual Lawrusso.
Relationships: Daniel LaRusso/Johnny Lawrence
Comments: 50
Kudos: 114





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Rating: PG-13; there is cussing, but, come on, what teenager doesn't know all of the curse words in the American language by this point? 
> 
> Disclaimer: I definitely do not own anything regarding Cobra Kai. I am merely borrowing and playing with them as I see fit. This is totally un-beta’d and I am in no way a medical professional.
> 
> Author’s Note(s): It took me one day to binge all of CK (heck, it only took a 10hr shift), and by the time I went to sleep, I was not only done with the show, but I’d delved into the Lawrusso tag (with a secondary tag for Daniel whump) on AO3 and now I’m obsessed and trying to write my own fic.  
> I love the idea of Daniel’s knee injury from KK being something that pains him from time to time. I love old injuries as a trope and so, naturally, I ran with it and here we are.  
> Hope you enjoy!
> 
> AN 2: Like many, I have my own ideas about these characters. They may or may not coincide with yours. If they do, great. If they don't, please give the fic a chance anyways. The ideas aren't way out there, and I'm trying to be as fair to everyone as I can as I have Daniel and Johnny work through their stuff.

The night was calm, quiet, peaceful almost. Crickets chirped, cicadas sang, and the water from the koi pond was still. The heat from the day had faded into something far more tolerable with a light breeze brushing against his cheek. Robby stared around him, allowing the memories of happier times to fill his mind. Both he and Tory had come here for a far different purpose than merely to reminisce, but that didn’t stop him from doing it anyways.

“What are you two doing here?” Mr. LaRusso asked in a tone that was equal parts hopeful and wary. He came out of the dojo wearing a pair of sweatpants and a teeshirt, looking more tired than Robby had ever seen him.

The part of Robby who still cared about his former sensei awakened with worry; he didn’t know what was wearing down Mr. LaRusso, but he didn’t like to see it.

 _Idiot. This man threw you away like you were garbage,_ a voice which sounded very close to Mr. Kreese reminded him. _He didn’t give two shits about you. Why would you give one about him?_

“We come bearing a message from Mr. Kreese,” Tory said, her tone sneering and hateful and her body language saying she was ready for a fight. As far as Robby knew, they were just there to give the message and leave, but, admittedly, he didn’t actually know what said message was. That had been only for Tory’s ears.

At the mention of Mr. Kreese’s name, Mr. LaRusso’s back straightened, his posture going from exhausted to full-alert in an instant. “Oh?” he asked, his tone carefully casual. “What message is that?”

“Game on,” Tory answered, seconds before attacking.

Robby watched, stupefied as his former sensei and his current friend fought. Tory’s moves were strong, sharp, and hard; obviously she meant to do as much damage as she could. Mr. LaRusso’s, meanwhile, were fluid, and quick. He deflected most of Tory’s hits, taking a few to the face or side with little more than a grunt. Whenever he landed a hit, it seemed to be with as little force as he could make it while getting her to back off at the same time.

All around the backyard, the two sparred, more aware of their surroundings than Robby had thought they’d be. The ground was mostly even, but there were a few spots where one of them could have easily lost the advantage, or gained one, but neither did. A time or two he saw Mr. LaRusso wince when he stepped, but he didn’t know why.

Robby didn’t know what to do. It was obvious by Tory’s confidence that this was what Mr. Kreese had intended for them to do, but there was something that held him back from joining. For one, he didn’t know if he _was_ supposed to join or if he was supposed to stand there and make sure no one else attempted to help. On the other hand, attacking Mr. LaRusso like this felt wrong. Yes, he had done some bad things, and yes, Robby was mad as hell at him. But even so, this felt wrong.

Mr. LaRusso’s cry of pain, a sound Robby had never wanted to hear, had Robby running to his former sensei, not liking how he had collapsed to the ground and wasn’t trying to get back up. He knew he should be going to help Tory complete whatever message they had been sent to give, but he also knew he couldn’t do it. This was wrong and he couldn’t let it continue. Hell, he should have stopped it before it had gotten to this point.

Once Mr. LaRusso had fallen to the ground, Tory hadn’t wasted any time in taking advantage. While Robby ran over to join them, she stepped forward and used her foot to apply pressure against Mr. LaRusso’s left knee, making him cry out again, his voice growling near the end. The look he gave Tory was almost murderous, but he made no move to dislodge her. Did he not want to hit a kid or was he in too much pain to do anything?

“Enough!” Robby cried, pulling Tory off and pushing her away from Mr. LaRusso. He stepped in between the two, making it clear that if she wanted to continue, she’d have to go through him first. “Is this really what Mr. Kreese wanted you to do?” he asked, angry and disbelieving. “Attack an innocent man?”

"There's nothing innocent about him!" Tory snarled back. “Are you really going to defend him? Look at what he did to you! He put you in jail!”

“There’s no denying Mr. LaRusso has his flaws,” Robby answered. “And yes, he screwed me over, but that is between him and me. It is _not_ for you or Mr. Kreese to take care of. He didn’t deserve whatever in the hell that was.”

“ _That_ ,” Tory said, spitting the word out in anger, “had nothing to do with you. Mr. Kreese wanted you to join in on your own behalf, but he hadn’t counted on it.”

“So then, what the hell was that?!” Robby was well and truly angry now. If that hadn’t had anything to do with him, then why had she brought it up? Did she think that reminding him of all of the shit that had gone down between him and Mr. LaRusso would make him turn on his former sensei?

Anger mixed with cockiness and hatred as she addressed the man on the ground behind Robby. “That was Mr. Kreese reminding you what happened the last time you crossed him.”

“He’s still using kids to do his dirty work?” Mr. LaRusso answered, his voice a growl. Shuffling from behind him told Robby that the man was moving, but he couldn’t tell much beyond that. A hiss of pain from Mr. LaRusso made Tory’s eyes brighten. God, was she _enjoying_ this? “Tell him, next time he has a message for me, he can give it to me in person.”

“Be careful what you ask for,” Tory warned. “You just got your ass handed to you by a 17 year old girl. You really think you can handle someone like Mr. Kreese?” She scoffed. “You’re all bravado and no bite; a washed-up has-been who still thinks he was the hero.” She sneered, disgust plain on her face. “Pathetic.” She then looked to Robby. “I would ask if you were coming, but I think I already know the answer. You’re just as pathetic as he is, going back to the men who threw you away the minute you weren’t useful. I hope you’re happy with the side you’ve chosen.”

“I’d rather act with moral integrity than rage,” Robby answered, his heart breaking a little bit. Her words stung more than he liked. He knew he was making the right choice, but he _had_ found a home with Cobra Kai, and now he’d lost it. Once again, he was without a family or a home.

Tory said nothing else before running off, exiting the way they came in. Robby made sure she was gone before he turned around and knelt next to Mr. LaRusso. “Are you okay?”

Upon seeing the older man up close, Robby inwardly winced at how stupid the question sounded. The bruise that was already forming along the outside of his left eye and cheek bone did nothing to hide the pain that lay on his face. From what Robby could tell, Mr. LaRusso’s leg looked okay enough, but it was obvious that it was still hurting him, and Robby didn’t know what to do about that.

“Thank you,” he said, his voice rough and his breathing heavier than Robby could remember ever hearing it, “for stepping in.”

“This doesn’t mean that I forgive you,” Robby snapped before he could stop himself. Something in his former mentor’s tone sounded too familiar, too friendly to him. He wanted to shut that down before expectations arose.

“I know,” Mr. LaRusso assured, shifting into a position that would allow him to get off the ground. His lips curled back into a brief snarl as he moved his injured leg, but the fact that he _was_ able to move it boded well for Robby, even if it was a fractional amount. “I wouldn’t forgive me, either.”

“Did Mr. Miyagi take you in, then betray you and hand you over to the police without warning?” Robby asked, more than a little angry about that still.

“No,” Mr. LaRusso quietly answered. “No, he didn’t. He was definitely a better man than me.”

His tone was wistful, almost making it sound as though he regretted his actions, but Robby didn’t want to hear any apologies, he _couldn’t_ hear them, so he changed the subject. “Do you want me to,” he paused, trying to think of what the right thing would be to do in this situation. When he came up with one lame idea after another, he gave up and went with, “help you inside, or something?”

Mr. LaRusso shook his head in the negative. “If you could get my phone from the dojo, I’d appreciate it,” he answered, apparently deciding not to explain why he didn’t want the help.

Uncomfortable with the idea of leaving his former sensei, injured, and alone in the yard, Robbie asked, “Can I call someone for you?” He doubted Tory would come back, or that Mr. Kreese would show up, but he didn’t want to take that chance.

“Thank you, but I know you’re uncomfortable enough just being here,” Mr. LaRusso answered, his tone assuring and understanding. “If you could get my phone for me, I can handle things from there, and you can go home.” Robby looked away, uncomfortable; he didn’t know where he would be sleeping tonight. “Unless,” Mr. LaRusso added, apparently having seen Robby’s expression, “you don’t have anywhere else to go…”

“I’ll be fine,” Robby assured, refusing to allow this man to feel sorry for him. Never again.

“I’m sure you will be,” Mr. LaRusso agreed with utter confidence. “But, and it’s okay if you don’t want to accept ever again, you will always be welcome here.”

Pain and longing made Robby’s eyes tear up, and he looked away to hide it. God, he wanted to accept that offer, but something in him bucked at the idea. “Who do you want me to call?”

Mr. LaRusso sighed, disappointment in the sound. “Your father.”

**oOo**

Johnny was sitting at the house, essentially babysitting the dojo kids while Daniel took some time to himself. With all that was going on in their lives - Kreese, Amanda leaving, trying to ensure the kids would be ready for the fight that they, Johnny and Daniel, had started through petty arguments, and the dealership barely staying afloat - Daniel was beginning to drown under all the pressure and Johnny knew it. It hurt him to see his friend upset and stressed, so he suggested Daniel take some time to meditate at the dojo.

When they had first melded their teams together, there had been _many_ arguments. From the name, to the teaching styles, to the small bickerings going on between some of the kids, there had been a time when neither Johnny nor Daniel had thought things would ever work. But, eventually, things evened out. Many of the issues between the two of them had been settled with Johnny forgiving Daniel for his faults in their past - slight though they had been - and with Daniel attempting to do the same with Johnny. Johnny understood that it would be harder for Daniel to forgive - the things he’d done to the other man in high school were nothing short of unforgivable - so he gave Daniel the time that he needed to work through them. There were definitely some unresolved things still, mostly within their group of kids, but things were getting better.

About a month into the merger, Amanda had left, claiming that Daniel loved karate and his life with at the dojo and with the kids more than he did her. The split had been hard on Daniel, who was understandably crushed, but he hadn’t fought her leaving. In fact, he’d offered to move out, but she’d declined, saying she’d found a job in Boston and planned on taking Anthony with her. This second bit of news was harder for Daniel than her leaving. He loved his kids so strongly that the idea of one of them, his only son at that, possibly being better off without him crushed him. Johnny watched it all from the sidelines, doing his best to stay out of it and wishing he could help all the while.

He didn’t know _when_ he’d started feeling something straddling the line between friendship and something more for Daniel, but he didn’t fight the feeling. Whether or not Daniel felt the same was irrelevant; Daniel needed nothing more than friendship at the moment and so that would be what Johnny gave him, biding his time and trying to determine if there could ever be more between them.

Guns N Roses blaring from his back pocket brought Johnny back to the present, and he shifted so he could pull his phone out, briefly wrinkling his brows when he didn’t recognize the number that was calling him.

“Yeah?” he answered, seeing no reason to be polite.

A slight hesitation then, _“Dad?”_

“Robby?” Johnny’s heart dropped to his stomach; his son calling him had been the last thing he’d expected. “Where are you? Are you okay? Do you need me to come get you?” Johnny inwardly scoffed at himself. His son wasn’t at some random person’s party; he was staying with the monster who had warped what the new Cobra Kai was supposed to be, and tried to kill Johnny when he was younger.

 _“Johnny, stop,”_ Daniel’s voice said. Something in it sounded…off, though Johnny couldn’t tell why. _“He’s here at Miyagi-do and he’s okay, but he’s only calling you for me.”_

Of course, he’d go to LaRusso. Johnny shouldn’t have been so surprised, or hurt, but he was. Doing his best to move past that, Johnny frowned. “Why didn’t you just call me from your phone?”

There was a pause, then. _“Because I couldn’t get to it.”_

Okay, now Johnny was listening. “What happened?”

 _“Someone attacked the dojo,”_ Daniel answered, his tone making it sound like it wasn’t a big deal. _“Robbie stepped in before things got too bad, but,”_ he paused, sounding hesitant, _“I’ll need some help getting home.”_

“I’ll be there in ten,” he said, not bothering to ask for more information. Daniel obviously didn’t want to get into it right now, and there wasn’t much of a point in pushing.

He hung up without waiting for a reply, then stood up and headed for the dining room where most of the kids were crowded. “Hey, guys, I’m going to run an errand, I’ll be back in a bit.”

“What errand?” Miguel asked, never one to mind his own fucking business.

“Just an errand, okay?” Johnny answered, not wanting to go into further details, not that he had many. “Just stay here, and keep the doors locked until me or Daniel return, okay?”

They all nodded, half of them rolling their eyes like they thought the extra measures, and reminders, unnecessary, then went back to their chattering. Grateful he got out with little trouble, and none of them suspecting anything was off, Johnny left and drove over to Miyagi-do, not paying any attention to the suggestions they called speed limits.

**oOo**

“Why didn’t you tell them it was Tory who attacked?” Robby asked, his tone curious mixed with surprise.

Daniel sighed, doing his best to keep his patience. Not that he found Robby annoying, but his leg was killing him and the pain was eating away at the patience he normally add. Given what Robby had done for him tonight, at that he had stayed afterwards, Daniel didn’t want to seem ungrateful or scare the boy off, so he counted to five, then answered, “Because it wasn’t Tory’s fault,” he answered, sighing again when Robby looked more confused. “Look, yes, she was the one that was here, and she has a pretty solid kick might I add, but it wasn’t her. Not really. It was Kreese. Tory is an angry kid who’s been shown the wrong way of dealing with it.” Robby looked away, hiding whatever he was feeling from Daniel. Again, Daniel sighed, “Look, your dad’s on the way. You don’t need to stay.”

Robby looked around them, focusing on the dark corners of the yard. “I’m fine,” he answered decisively.

“You afraid of their return?” Daniel guessed.

“Yeah, something like that.”

Daniel let the matter drop, too tired and in too much pain to attempt to keep it going. If the kid wanted to hang around, he wasn’t going to argue. The likelihood of someone coming back wasn’t high, but it did make him feel better to know he had Robby on his side if they did. He thought back to the earlier offer of shelter and of Robby’s expression before and after it had been offered. “I don’t think I’ll lock up the dojo when we leave tonight,” he said, not focusing on Robby so he could pretend he was just thinking aloud. He side-eyed the kid, then looked away before he was noticed. “I doubt Tory would do anything to it. Both she and Kreese feel as though their point was made.”

“What did Tory mean, about Mr. Kreese reminding you what happened the last time you crossed him? Have you fought him before?”

The question probably shouldn’t have been quite so out of the blue to Daniel, but it was. Of all the things that Tory had said, _that_ was what Robby was thinking about? Or was it, perhaps, that he was trying not to think about other things and this felt like a safe subject?

“Not him, personally, no,” Daniel answered, his brain trying to figure out how to explain things without bringing Johnny’s name into it. It hadn’t been Johnny who had caused the original injury, but he had definitely tried to use it to his advantage. “Kreese won’t go after a kid; it’d be too easy for him to get arrested. But, if two kids from opposing dojos went at each other, there wasn’t anything illegal in that.”

“Wait, he didn’t go after Sam or anything, did he?”

Daniel smiled at Robby’s concern for Sam. “Other than the whole fiasco a few months ago, and the fight at the school before that, no.” Daniel’s blood still boiled when he thought of how much his baby girl had been through. He recognized that the blame didn’t all lie at Kreese’s feet - okay, most of it didn’t - but there _was_ some and he held onto it.

“So,” Robby said, leaving it open for Daniel to fill in.

Daniel opened his mouth to answer, but then hissed when a vicious throb reverberated through his knee. He clenched his teeth, growling out a groan that he didn’t really want to escape.

Beside him, he felt Robby fidget. “Are you sure I can’t do anything for you?” the kid sounded so concerned, and scared, that it broke Daniel’s heart.

“I’m okay,” Daniel lied. Did she have to aim for his bad leg? What was he saying, _of course_ she did - Kreese would have wanted to remind Daniel of the first time Daniel had pissed him off. “This isn’t the first time this has happened,” he added, doing his best to offer a smile. “And on Kreese’s orders, no less.”

He was saved from having to fill in more details by Johnny opening the gate. “LaRusso?” he called, attempting to locate them.

“Over here,” Daniel answered, waving to catch the other man’s attention. The back yard certainly wasn’t big, but the darkness made it hard to see much of anything.

Johnny took a moment to turn on the backyard lights, which, now that Daniel thought about it, he could have had Robby do a long time ago, then he joined them. “Jesus, LaRusso,” he swore, kneeling on the other side of Daniel. Blue eyes roamed over him, going from what Daniel was sure was a bruise near his eye, to the swollen mess that was his left knee, before focusing on Robby. “What happened?”

“We can talk about that later,” Daniel answered, refusing to let Johnny put the kid on the spot. “Can you just, help me get back to the house, please? The night might be warm, but the ground isn’t.”

“If you’re so cold, why didn’t you go into the dojo?” Johnny asked in a tone that told Daniel not to be such a baby.

“I offered,” Robby defended when his father’s gaze met his. “He just told me to call you.”

“Actually, I asked you to get my phone so _I_ could call him,” Daniel corrected, though that obviously wasn’t the point.

“So, some person just happened to attack the dojo,” Johnny said, his voice skeptical. “Someone who just happened to know what leg to take out?” He moved to Daniel’s left side, forcing Robby to step aside as he did so. He paused, his gaze more focused on Daniel’s leg, then he asked, “Where is he?”

The anger Daniel heard in Johnny’s voice surprised him. Not that he wouldn’t be pissed if Kreese had gone after Johnny, but the guy always seemed…less protective than Daniel was. He would have, of course, expected that kind of reaction if it had been one of the kids - hell, he’d have gone after Kreese himself if that had happened - but for him?

“Will you just help me?” Daniel asked, ignoring the implications of Johnny’s angry glare. None of them needed Johnny giving Kreese the satisfaction of a visit.

Johnny’s expression didn’t really change, but he did seem to focus on the here and now rather than his plans for the immediate future. He looked down at Daniel’s leg again, his eyes moving up and down the limb and thinking God only knows what. “Do you honestly think you can walk on that leg?”

“Doesn’t that seem like a bad idea?” Robby asked, sounding unsure.

“No, it doesn’t,” Daniel answered, though he wasn’t entirely convinced he could. He sure as hell wasn’t going to admit that, though, so he looked at Johnny, waiting for a hand to grab.

“Can you even bend it?” Johnny asked, his arms stubbornly remaining crossed.

“He hasn’t tried since he fell,” Robby snitched. Daniel threw him a look, to which the kid just shrugged. “You haven’t.”

“Look, I’m fine, guys, okay?” Daniel lied once more, not liking the amount of attention they were both giving him over a sore knee. “A little bit of ice, a little bit of rest, I’ll be good as new.”

That argument fell through the floor when, without warning, Johnny attempted to move his leg. Pain erupted in the joint, burning through his leg like hot lava. It stole his breath, but it didn’t stop him from clamping a firm hold on Johnny’s wrist, stopping him from doing anything more.

“Yeah, fine my ass,” Johnny said, though his tone was almost apologetic. “Did you drive the SUV here?”

“You parked in the same driveway,” Daniel reminded him, stopping to close his eyes and bite his lip as the pain continued to rage. “You didn’t notice?”

“I was a bit preoccupied with wondering what happened to my business partner,” Johnny quipped.

“He brought the SUV,” Robby answered with confidence.

“Good,” Johnny said.

“Why? Can’t you just take him to the house in the Challenger?”

Why were they talking about him like he wasn’t there? “I can answer questions,” he said, his growing frustration in his voice.

“Give the kid a break,” Johnny chided. “You looked a little busy trying to breathe.” Both Daniel and Johnny focused on Robby, who had gone to Daniel’s right side. Daniel offered, what he hoped was, a look of apology, but the kid wasn’t focusing on him, he was looking at his dad, waiting for an answer. “I don’t think we could get him into the Challenger without hurting him.”

“Moving him is already going to hurt him,” Robby pointed out, sounding fairly logical about causing Daniel more pain.

“That’s true, but he can’t bend that leg, which we’d have to do if we wanted to get him into the front seat of the Challenger. Something tells me, if we tried, he’d end up passing out.”

“Hey!” Daniel objected, though to what specifically, he couldn’t say. Johnny did have a point. If just attempting to bend his knee hurt that bad, Daniel couldn’t imagine what actually bending it would do.

“The SUV will be easier to transport him to the hospital,” Johnny continued, completely ignoring Daniel.

“Woah, woah,” Daniel objected again, this time making sure the other two actually looked at him before continuing, “I do _not_ need to go to the hospital.”

“I think whoever it was that attacked you dislocated your knee, LaRusso,” Johnny argued back. “It may look like it’s in alignment, but I seriously doubt it is. And since I’m pretty certain this is something a medical professional should take care of, we’re taking you to the hospital and letting them take care of it.”

“We? I’m going too?” Robby asked, obviously not liking the idea.

“I know that I don’t have the right to ask a favor of you,” Daniel answered before Johnny could. He bared his teeth in a snarl as another throb pulsed through his leg; his hip and ankle were starting to ache from the constant sonar. Rather than confirm that, Robby stayed silent, thankfully waiting to hear what he had to say before refusing his request. “But, could you stay here and watch the dojo?”

“I thought you said you didn’t think anyone would bother it tonight,” Robby countered, calling him out and making him smile.

“I did say that, didn’t I? Look, honestly, I don’t know what Kreese will or will not do, and I’d feel much better if there was someone looking after the place than if there wasn’t. I don’t want what happened last time someone vandalized it to happen again.”

Daniel’s heart ached when he thought of the last time Cobra Kai went after the dojo. The vandalization hadn’t been a huge problem; toilet paper easily came down, fences were reparable, and plants could be re-potted and healed. But, Mr. Miyagi’s medals and cars were less easy to fix or replace. Daniel didn’t know what he’d do if someone stole the medals and, this time, didn’t give them back.

“I know it’s a big ask,” he began, fully prepared to talk Robby into it, but the kid interrupted him, saying, “I’ll do it.”

Daniel almost sagged in relief. Not only would the kid have a warm place to sleep tonight, but Miyagi-do would be protected as well. “Thank you, Robby,” he said, hating that he felt like he was trapping the kid into sticking around.

“Alright, now this is gonna hurt,” Johnny warned, as he got to his feet then bent over. “I’m sorry ahead of time, okay?”

Wait, he wasn’t actually planning on carrying Daniel, was he?

Daniel got his answer as he was scooped up and held closely to Johnny’s chest. The molten lava from before burned brighter and hotter this time, almost making him black out from the intensity of it all. Yeah, maybe Johnny wasn’t wrong about the extent of the damage.

Damn it. This was going to put a hitch in the training. One sensei for that many kids practically guaranteed that a few of them would be lost in the crowd and that was something none of them could afford. They weren’t focusing solely on the tournament though, although that was certainly at the forefront of all of their minds, no, they wanted to make sure these kids could protect and defend themselves in case an attack came outside of the regulated forum.

When he felt like he could breathe again, Daniel opened his eyes and saw Robby following them to the SUV, his expression almost forlorn. He wanted nothing more than to reassure the kid, but he couldn’t find the words, or energy, to do it. The kid opened the door to the passenger side, hesitated, then said, “Let me know what the doctors say?” He looked around, seemingly uncomfortable, though why, Daniel couldn’t entirely guess, then added, “I’ll be around.”

Whether the question was aimed at him or Johnny, Daniel didn’t know, but he answered nonetheless while Johnny got into the driver’s seat. “I will. Thanks again for your help tonight.” He paused, biting his lip against a renewed rush of pain. “I’d love to talk, if you’re okay with it?”

“I’ll let you know,” Robby answered, not saying yes, but also not saying no.

Knowing that he couldn’t expect anything more than that, Daniel nodded then waited as Robby closed the door.

“So,” Johnny said once they were moving, “you finally gonna tell me what the hell actually happened?”

**TBC**


	2. Chapter 2

With Miguel standing off to the side, Sam paced around the living room. Sensing there had been more to Johnny’s leaving than his need to run errands, Sam had slowly sent everyone home, allowing them to taper out on their own time. Miguel had been the only one to refuse to leave. She hadn’t even tried to get him to do it; by the time she needed the support he gave.

“I’m sure everything’s fine,” Miguel assured, but Sam shook her head.

“Whatever errands Johnny had, he shouldn’t be gone this long,” Sam argued, “and my dad isn’t answering his phone. No, something’s wrong.”

The thought of something having happened to her dad wasn’t a pleasant one, but she was positive of its truth. While he wasn’t a part of the generation that was glued to their phones, he always answered when either she or Anthony had called him. Always.

“I’m gonna try him again,” she said, immediately hitting redial. After a couple rings, the line picked up and she said, “Dad?”

_“Uh, no, it’s, it’s Robby.”_

Sam looked at Miguel, then put her phone on speaker. “Why are you answering my dad’s phone?” _And what took you so long?_

_“He and my dad just left. We forgot to give him his phone.”_

“Why are you there at all?” Miguel asked, his tone almost angry. Although he liked her dad, Sam knew that he still favored Johnny over her father. Still, someone he saw as an enemy was in _their_ territory, which she knew wasn’t sitting well with him.

 _“I’ll let Mr. LaRusso tell you that,”_ Robby’s voice was hard and Sam couldn’t blame him. Things between the three of them had gotten so messed up; she supposed she should be grateful that he was talking to them at all. _“I just thought you ought to know, your father was hurt, Sam.”_ Sam gasped, not entirely surprised, but not happy all the same. _“He’ll be okay, but my dad took him to the ER to get his leg sorted out.”_

“His leg?” Miguel said, looking confused.

“Was it his left leg?” Sam asked, ignoring Miguel’s questioning look for the time being.

_“Yeah.”_

Shit. “Okay, um, th-thanks for telling me.” He hung up before she could say more and she tossed her phone onto the sofa in anger. Not that she was angry at Robby for hanging up. No, she was angry that something had happened and she and the rest of them were being kept out of the loop like they were just kids and hadn’t been fighting the same battle as both Johnny and her dad had been for the past year.

“How’d you know which leg it was?” Miguel asked once she’d sat down, too worn out to keep pacing.

“I didn’t know, I guessed,” she corrected. Realizing that he wasn’t satisfied with that answer, she added, “My dad hurt his left knee during a tournament when he was our age,” she answered. “His family didn’t have a lot of money back then, so they couldn’t afford to get it fixed right, which meant that it didn’t heal properly, or something. Every once in a while, he has trouble with it. When that happens, he spends a few days favoring it, staying off it as much as he can, and then he’s fine for a time after.”

God, she wished her mom were still here. Not that Sam blamed her for leaving, or for taking Anthony, though she knew it hurt her dad a lot when that happened, but her mom was usually the one to take care of her father when he was hurting. Sam didn’t necessarily mind having to do it - she loved him, after all - but the idea also made her nervous. She worried about doing too much or too little, or hurting him more while trying to help.

 _You could have gone with your mom,_ Anthony’s voice reminded her. And it was true, she absolutely could have. Both of her parents had given her the choice of who she’d wanted to live with - they’d even told her she could split her time if that was what she wanted - but Sam had chosen her dad. The war he was fighting wasn’t just his anymore and she wasn’t about to leave him to fight it without her. Besides, while she loved her mom - and, annoyingly enough, her brother - she was closer with her dad, and didn’t want to leave him alone.

“I think someone’s pulling up,” Miguel said, bringing her back to the present.

Sam immediately went to the window, relief rushing through her when she recognized her dad’s SUV. “It’s my dad,” she announced before opening the door and running outside, stopping on the entry patio. She found it weird to see Johnny driving, but she also recognized that if her dad was injured, he couldn’t very well do it. Johnny said something to her father, pressed the button on the rearview mirror that opened the garage, then got out. “Is he okay?” she asked the blonde, hesitant to go and check for herself. Johnny’s eyebrows furrowed in confusion. “Robby told us he’d been hurt.”

Understanding dawned and Johnny nodded. “He needs time to recover, but he’ll be fine.” He headed into the garage, quickly coming back out with a pair of crutches that Sam hadn’t seen anyone use for a long time.

Frozen in place, Sam watched as Johnny took the crutches to the passenger side, opened the door, then held them out for her father to grab. Not for the first time, she noticed how, almost gentle he was being with her dad. Not that he’d ever been harsh or violent, but he was certainly more…soft with her father.

“Sam?” her dad called once he’d settled on the crutches and started heading for the house. It was odd, seeing him in a sweatpants with one leg torn up to his thigh. Her dad was a neat freak; she hadn’t seen him this disheveled in a long time. She idly wondered why the pants were torn, but she stopped herself from thinking on it long as he came closer, worry on his face. “Are you okay?”

The fear she heard in his voice bothered her, as did the pain, but she hid it under a smile. “Are you?” she asked. Now that she could see for herself that he wasn’t horribly hurt, she knew she should relax, but she couldn’t. _Something_ had happened and, though she didn’t plan on pushing him too far, she wanted to know what.

“Let’s have this pleasant little reunion once you’re sitting down, LaRusso,” Johnny said, making her dad roll his eyes.

“I can handle standing long enough to check on my daughter,” her dad argued back with good-natured patience. “When did you become such a mother-hen?”

In spite of what he said, Sam moved to the side, opening the front door for him and waiting for the two men to cross the threshold before she closed it behind them, and locked it. Johnny immediately ushered her dad to the nearest sofa, ignoring Miguel who by the window, looking just as uncomfortable as Sam felt.

“You complain any more about it and I’ll leave you to fend for yourself,” Johnny threatened, though Sam could tell he didn’t mean it.

Once her dad was seated, Johnny knelt on the floor and helped support her dad’s injured leg while he shifted back on the couch so he was in a more comfortable position while elevating it. Her dad winced as he moved, making Sam wonder if he was hurt anywhere else, but she held her tongue. Whether or not he was, it was clear the worst injury he sustained was his knee, and so she tried to be satisfied with that.

“What happened?” she asked, coming to sit on the coffee table in front of him once her dad was settled and resting.

His forehead was furrowed in pain, but he attempted to offer her a smile. “I’m fine,” he assured.

Sam almost called him on not answering her question, but then she remembered that he was, it just wasn’t the most recent one. She furrowed her brows, unhappy with his response. Why did he feel like he had to lie to her? Clearly, he wasn’t fine.

“Dude, if you say that one more time, I’m gonna smack you upside the head,” Johnny threatened, this time sounding like he was good and ready to do it. He laid an ice pack on her father’s knee, his actions so gentle that Sam almost smiled at what it hinted at, then joined Sam on the coffee table, the both of them sitting on either side of her dad’s legs. “Whoever attacked you dislocated your knee, man, _and_ just about gave you a concussion. You are not fine.”

“Wait, you were attacked?” Sam said, shock mixing with panic.

“By who?” Miguel followed up with, definitely angry and sounding like he was ready to beat the shit out of whoever it had been.

“Guys,” her dad said, looking at all three of them and sighing, “can we just drop it, please?” He rubbed at his temples, wincing as he did so.

It was then that Sam noticed the bruise by his eye. How she hadn’t noticed it before completely escaped her, but she saw it now and couldn’t really seem to focus on anything else. Though the placing was different, and it was a bruise and not a couple of cuts, it reminded her of when she’d found him, looking ready to end John Kreese outside the Cobra Kai dojo.

She had been so sore from the fight with Tory, but she had seen the murderous look in her father’s eyes when he’d heard and seen what had happened and she had been worried he’d do something he’d regret that she’d raced over, meeting up with Miguel in the parking lot and stopping both her dad and Johnny from becoming killers. Barely. Once they’d walked away, Johnny and Miguel had left, with Johnny and her dad sharing a meaningful look beforehand. Although it had been raining, she’d made her dad lean against the car while she’d pulled out some spare napkins she kept in her glovebox and forced him to hold them against the cut along his forehead. In hindsight, it hadn’t been bleeding that badly, but that hadn’t made it any easier to see her father’s blood dripping down the side of his face and onto his shirt.

“We can drop it for the night,” Johnny granted, apparently seeing something in her dad that Sam wasn’t. “Something tells me this is a story better heard by everyone rather than us few.”

“You really expect him to go to the dojo tomorrow?” Sam said, jumping to more than one conclusion. Not that her dad _had_ to stay unmoving, but Sam knew she’d feel better if he did for the next few days.

“No, we’ll have everyone meet us here so he can explain, and then we’ll come up with a plan for training until he’s recovered.”

“ _Will_ he be recovered in time for the tournament?” Miguel asked doubtfully, and Sam couldn’t help but shake her head and smile.

“Really? _That’s_ what you’re worried about?” she teased, knowing full-well that it wasn’t. He had a good point, after all.

Miguel stammered, clearly unsure how to respond to that.

“Don’t worry, kid,” her dad assured, a tired smile on his face, “she’s just messing with you.”

“He won’t be fully healed in time for the tournament, but he should mostly be by that time.” Her dad opened his mouth, as though to argue, but then Johnny stood up, the action silencing whatever her dad had planned on saying. “For now, all that can wait until the morning. Come on, Miguel, I’ll take you home. I need to pick up some things from my apartment; gotta grab some clothes if I’m going to stay here.”

“Wait, hold on,” her dad argued, looking more awake than he had two minutes ago. “You’re _not_ staying here. I don’t need a babysitter.”

“You can’t expect Sam to take care of you all by herself-”

“I don’t need to be taken care of,” her dad interrupted, his impatience starting to show. “I’ve got a bum knee, that’s it. It’s something I’ve dealt with before, and I’ll probably have to deal with again, but it’s nothing I can’t handle on my own.”

Sam looked at Johnny, silently praying he wasn’t going to take the out her father was giving him. Normally, she enjoyed watching them argue like an old married couple, but this time she had something riding on the outcome of the argument.

“You think you’re fine on your own?” Johnny challenged, crossing his arms. “Okay, let me see you lower your leg to the floor.”

Sam’s brows furrowed in confusion; she didn’t really see how hard that could be for her dad to do. Then she watched him try, turn pale from the effort, and open his mouth in a silent scream. Was that amount of pain normal? She hoped it merely multiple things adding up to make it seem stronger.

“That’s what I thought,” Johnny said, sounding, though not looking, satisfied. “Just, sit there, and rest while I take Miguel home, okay? I’ll be back within the hour to help you get into bed.”

“Thanks, Johnny,” Sam said, stopping her father from arguing further. “I’ll keep an eye on him until you come back.”

“Try not to strangle him,” Johnny said, pulling his keys out of his pocket while Miguel gathered his stuff. “I know it’ll be hard; he’s being particularly prissy right now.”

The look on her father’s face was the epitome of prissy, and Sam stifled a laugh. “No promises,” she said, smiling, then closing the door behind them.

“You don’t have to hang around, Sam,” her dad said once it was just the two of them. “I promise to behave myself until he comes back, if you want to go get some sleep.”

“Of the two of us,” she said, joining him on the sofa, choosing to sit on his right side so she didn’t accidentally bump the left, “I think you’re the one most likely to fall asleep while waiting.”

He chuckled. “You’re probably right about that,” he admitted.

She smiled then leaned against his shoulder. His breath hitched, then he moved his arm, hugging her against his chest. She allowed them to sit like that, peaceful and content, for a few seconds, then she said, “It was Cobra Kai, wasn’t it?”

“What makes you say that?”

She pulled away so she could look him in the eye. “Because aside from you, me, and Johnny, no one other than Mr. Kreese knew about your weakened knee.”

“A few others know, Sam,” he argued, though she noticed he wasn’t saying she was wrong. “And, besides, in many fights, the best way to take down your opponent is with a kick to the knee.”

“Dad,” she chided seriously. “Please.”

He sighed. She moved back to the coffee table, stopping him from possibly hurting himself in his attempt to see her better, and grabbed his hand. He gave hers a squeeze and offered a tired smile. “Yes, it was Cobra Kai.”

“Was it Robby?” she asked, feeling her heart begin to pound faster.

“What? No, no, Robby stepped in and defended me.” He paused, shaking his head. “In spite of everything, I don’t think Robby could ever attack Johnny or me.”

 _That doesn’t mean he couldn’t hurt either one of you,_ Sam thought, but kept to herself. “He certainly waited long enough for the other person to do a fair amount of damage before he did so.”

“He was probably scared, Sam. It was obvious he hadn’t expected anything like a fight to happen.”

“Okay, so, then, if it wasn’t Robby, who was it?” Sam asked, moving on. While she didn’t doubt that Mr. Kreese had more students, she also knew that the attack would seem far more personal if two former students did it rather than the others. Which only left…

“It was Tory,” her dad confirmed.

“That bitch!” Sam exclaimed, standing up. She had no idea where Tory lived, but she wasn’t above finding out, even if it was almost one in the morning. “Come after me, all you want, but you leave my family alone.”

The last thing she expected to hear from her dad was a chuckle. That stopped her far more effectively than if he’d stood up and blocked her. She looked down at him and he shook his head. “You really are my daughter.”

It took a minute for his meaning to register, but once it did, Sam couldn’t help but smile and chuckle as well. Her reaction hadn’t been all that different from when he’d found out that Cobra Kai had attacked her. Sure, he may not have cursed, at least not in front of her, but he hadn’t needed to for her to hear it.

“Come and sit back down,” he bade, tapping the spot next to him. Knowing he’d prefer to look at her, she chose her spot on the coffee table, instead. “While I appreciate and understand where you’re coming from,” he said, his tone the beginning of a lecture, “you can’t resort to violence, no matter how angry you are.”

“I’m sorry, who was it that went over and tried to kill Kreese a few months ago?” she answered back, calling him on his hypocrisy.

“I know, and, look, I’m not saying I’m a perfect role model. I’m the farthest from it, to be honest, but that’s why I want to teach you differently. The saying, ‘Do as I say and not as I do’, comes to mind, actually.” He paused, his brows furrowing in pain. “Parents always hope to teach their children to be better than they were. Some achieve it. Others don’t.”

“Dad,” she said, not liking how he viewed himself. In her eyes, he was a good man, and she hoped Anthony grew up to be half the man their father is. “Are you thinking of Robby?” she asked. She couldn’t imagine he thought he’d set a bad example for her, could he?

The right corner of his mouth briefly lifted in half a smile. “Partly,” he admitted. “I definitely made a lot of mistakes where that kid is concerned, not the least of which being that I should have taken better care of him, taught him better, but I also haven’t been the best role model for you, either.” Sam furrowed her brows. “From the moment Cobra Kai opened, all I’ve felt is rage,” he explained. “And fear. Rather than trying to teach both you and Robby what Mr. Miyagi taught me, I’ve infused it with this underlying tone of war.”

Sam’s heart beat faster at the idea of her father having been afraid for the past year. How had she not notice that? Had he only recently realized that himself, or had he just been keeping it from her?

“The fight at the school,” he continued, his gaze softening in empathy. “That wasn’t on you, or Tory, or any of you kids. That was on me and Johnny. Mostly me, if I’m honest. Johnny had been trying to teach the kids a different way. Sure it hadn’t been quite that different from what Kreese had taught him, but it was different enough that the things that happened between him and me probably wouldn’t have happened between you kids. But, I couldn’t let go of the past.” He clenched his hands, forming fists that turned his knuckles white.

He often spoke about his past, but it was usually with a joking tone, or one that sounded like a story your grandparents would tell you from back in their day. Judging from what she was seeing now, he’d been hiding a lot of how much it had actually affected him from her and Anthony. The front door silently opened, and Johnny slipped in. Though she didn’t know why, she knew that he didn’t want to be noticed yet, so she said nothing about his arrival, letting her father talk.

Her dad smiled, the expression far too dark for her liking. “You know, sometimes I wonder if I’m better or the same as Kreese. I mean, sure, I may not have tried to kill one of my students, but I did have him sent to a juvenile detention center.”

“Dad, that was far better than what he would have gotten,” she assured, though he didn’t seem to hear her.

“And, Johnny,” he continued, tears of regret forming in his eyes. “You know, I think he genuinely thought he was helping those kids - hell, for all I know he was - and then I come in and degrade him over and over and over again, letting my anger and fear get the best of me, and not listening to a word he actually has to say.” He shook his head, his gaze not seeing a thing around him. “All that’s happening now, is my fault.”

“It’s not all your fault, LaRusso,” Johnny said, finally announcing his presence. Her dad jumped at hearing the unexpected voice, his face crumbling into a mask of pain as he did so. Sam held onto his hand, letting him squeeze hers as tightly as he needed to. “There’s plenty of blame to be shared by the both of us.” He made his way over to where they sat, frowning when he looked down at her dad. Sam couldn’t tell what he saw, but it was clear he didn’t like it. “For now, let’s let your daughter get some sleep.”

Sam hesitated leaving. “Do you want any help?” she offered, _really_ hoping he said no.

Johnny, thankfully, shook his head no. “I’ve got it from here, kid.”

Hoping that he meant more than simply getting her dad into bed, Sam nodded. “Let me know if you need anything,” she said, not focusing on one or the other in case they both needed her help. She leaned over and gave her dad a kiss on the forehead. “Goodnight, Daddy.”

“Goodnight, kiddo. Get some rest.”

Rest, she would no doubt get; she was definitely tired enough. Revenge, on the other hand, now that was something else entirely. She understood her dad’s point about not solving anything with violence, but she also found it hard to just leave the attack on him alone. Tory _would_ pay, and with luck, it would be by Sam’s hands.

**oOo**

“Okay, LaRusso, time to get up,” Johnny said, holding out the crutches for the injured man to grab. He waited a minute to see if the other man would say or do anything, but when he remained silent, Johnny tried again. “Come on, man, I know you’re hurting, so once you’re in bed, you can have some good painkillers.”

Daniel didn’t react until the sound of a door closing was heard. The minute that happened, he deflated, going from his normal, strong, self to someone who wished they were boneless, his face awash with grief, stress, and pain.

Since he had only caught the tail-end of the conversation between Daniel and his daughter, Johnny didn’t have a clue what all had been discussed. What he had heard, he hadn’t liked. God only knew what they had talked about that had led Daniel to draw comparisons between himself and Kreese, but Johnny didn’t like that he had gotten there. It simply wasn’t true.

Johnny hesitated, not really wanting to make Daniel move. “Any chance we could just leave you here?”

“God no,” Daniel answered, sounding more awake than he looked. “When Amanda picked this couch out, she went for look over comfort. This thing would kill my back.”

“Well, I guess I know where I _won’t_ be sleeping tonight.” Johnny looked around for another option. “Why in the hell do you have two living rooms, anyways?”

“One is a sitting room and one is a family room, you uncouth jerk,” Daniel answered.

Johnny smiled. “There’s the prissy Danielle, I know and love,” he said, gratified when Daniel snorted and chuckled in response. “Alright, whatever, if you can’t stay here, then you have to get up, because you look like you could fall asleep any second.” He waited, but when it appeared that Daniel still didn’t plan on moving, he threatened, “Come on, man, don’t make me carry you again. You’re a heavy little shit. What, did you gain one hundred pounds since you graduated high school?”

“I’ll have you know, that I have kept myself in excellent shape over the years,” Daniel retorted, not even opening his eyes. “And two, you seemed to find it fairly easy to pick me up from the ground and carry me to your car like I was a damsel in distress.”

“So you _do_ want me to carry you?” At least, that’s what it sounded like to Johnny. He certainly hadn’t minded holding him close like that. In fact, the only downside was how much pain Daniel had been in while it had been happening.

Daniel shook his head. “Never again.” He made a very strong effort to open his eyes and sit up more, almost making it, actually. Then, his pallor paled and the almost relaxed expression on his face changed to one of pain. “Maybe I could have the painkillers first?” he suggested. “I have some Advil in the kitchen.”

“Advil? Well damn, I bet if he’d known you had that, the doctor wouldn’t have prescribed the stronger painkillers that I have in my pocket.” In spite of the snark in his tone, Johnny went to grab the requested Advil. He definitely didn’t want to give Daniel the stronger stuff because he’d fall asleep before he even made it to bed, but it was obvious that he wasn’t going anywhere without some pain relief. Besides, it felt cruel to keep him in pain.

_Where was that empathy thirty years ago when you tried to take advantage of his injury to win a fight?_

_Shut up,_ he told the voice as he went to the fridge for a bottle of water first. Johnny would have just used the sink, but Daniel seemed like a bottled water kind of guy.

_Nice comeback, jackass. What, you think you’re gonna live happily ever after with that guy? Wake up, moron! He’s never going to forgive you for the shit you did to him._

Refusing to acknowledge the truth of that, Johnny called out, “Hey, where do you keep the painkillers?”

“In the drawer closest to the back door,” Daniel called back. There was a rustling sound, then Daniel quietly cried out, “Ah! Sonofa..” Whatever else he was going to curse was drowned in a growl that Johnny assumed was pain and frustration.

“Will you stop moving?” Johnny chided as he came back with the items in hand. “Just, wait until these take effect, then you can move, okay?”

“First he wants me to move, then he doesn’t want me to move. Will you make your mind up?” He took the bottle of Advil and poured four into his palm, then popped them into his mouth before Johnny could argue, swallowing them with ease thanks to the water he was handed next.

“Why’d you take so many?” Johnny asked, taking the bottles from him and placing them on the coffee table. “I could have given you the good stuff before you did that.”

Daniel raised an eyebrow at him, silently asking him if he was okay and making him blush. Yeah, okay, he _did_ sound a bit pouty about that. “Why Johnny, I didn’t know you cared so much,” Daniel teased, though something told Johnny he was more than a little bit serious.

“It comes with the mother-hen-ing,” Johnny answered, once again picking the crutches up and waiting for Daniel to be ready to grab them.

“Yeah, where’d _that_ come from?” Daniel asked, lying his head back once more. Johnny understood that it would take some for the medicine to kick in. He just hoped Daniel didn’t fall asleep while waiting for that to happen. “I mean, I don’t even think I’ve seen you be like this when one of the kids gets hurt.”

Johnny sighed, leaning the crutches out to the side, then sat down on the coffee table, careful not to nudge Daniel’s injured leg. “Maybe I don’t like seeing you in pain, is that so hard to understand?”

“A bit, yeah,” Daniel admitted without flinching. “You went to a lot of trouble to cause me pain when we were in high school. More than once, I thought you wanted me dead. So what changed?”

Daniel may not have flinched, but Johnny did, more than once, while he talked. Yeah, it would be a cold day in hell before Daniel forgave him.

“Don’t get me wrong, I don’t blame you anymore,” Daniel assured, his voice gentle, like he realized the effect his words were having and didn’t like it. “But, it does make the way you’ve been acting tonight a little confusing to me.”

Johnny was quiet for awhile, unsure how to respond without giving everything away. While he wasn’t necessarily afraid of confessing the truth, he knew Daniel wasn’t ready to hear any of it. He leaned back a little, putting some small distance between himself and his friend.

“There’s no denying I was an asshole in high school,” he said.

“You were what Kreese made you,” Daniel answered with nothing but forgiveness in his voice.

“Maybe, maybe not. I didn’t try hard enough to find out until after I’d lost the tournament, so there’s no way of knowing if it was all Kreese or if there just some Johnny in there too. I’ll also not deny that, for the _longest_ time I blamed you for everything that went wrong in my life. From, being disowned by Cobra Kai, to any good jobs I had envisioned for myself getting flushed down the toilet, to the fact that I became a drunk - everything, I blamed you for. And I _hated_ you for it.”

Daniel’s gaze remained fixed on him, so Johnny looked away, ashamed of how he’d been living the past thirty-something years.

“Then, you became successful where I failed and I hated you even more.” Johnny couldn’t look at Daniel any more by this point. He didn’t want to know what he’d see in the other man’s face if he did. “You were kind of a dick when I showed up looking for my car, so I felt okay in my dislike of you. Then you showed up at my dojo, talking about how some things never change and I felt _justified_ in it.” He briefly looked up to make sure Daniel was still awake, then continued. “I’m not sure when all that began to change, man, but it did. Slowly, but it did. I learned to place that hate where it belonged, and I learned to get along with you, even to like you. Honestly, I don’t know how you feel, but to me, we’re friends, and I don’t like seeing my friends hurting.”

After a few minutes’ silence, Johnny finally gathered the courage to look up, and felt his heart skip a beat when he saw tears in Daniel’s eyes. “What?” Johnny asked, alarmed about what was causing them. “Is it your leg?” He fidgeted, ready to get up and do _something_ in order to help.

“No, I’m okay, I promise,” Daniel assured, offering a small smile. “The Advil has started to kick in and the pain’s more manageable.”

“You shouldn’t have to manage the pain,” Johnny whispered in a growl, angry at Kreese for what he’s done.

“Well that’s neither here nor there, at the moment, since we can’t change it,” Daniel answered, making Johnny wish he’d kept that thought to himself. God, when did he become such a sap? “And, for the record, you’re my friend, too, alright.”

Fuck. Johnny had thought he’d be relieved, or joyed, to hear those words, but honestly, they made him feel worse. He didn’t deserve Daniel’s friendship and he knew it. Burying that for another time, Johnny stood up. “You think you can make it to your bedroom?” He paused, looking around, then asked, “Where, exactly, is your bedroom?”

“It’s upstairs,” Daniel answered with a laugh. “And, yeah, like I said, the pain’s more manageable now, so I should be fine to make it there.”

“Wait, it’s upstairs?” Johnny asked, and he actually saw Daniel sigh at his tone. “You can’t possibly think you should be climbing stairs.”

“If it makes you feel any better, I’ve climbed up those stairs on crutches before.”

“In what universe would that make me feel better?” Johnny asked, knowing full-well that he was overreacting but unable to stop himself.

“In the one where you hated me?” Daniel offered. At Johnny’s look, he said, “What? Too soon?”

“Okay, tomorrow we are gonna have a talk about just how long that leg has been plaguing you and what that entails, because this,” he gestured to everything, but in reality, it was just Daniel’s lax attitude that was bugging him, “is gonna drive me crazy.” Daniel held his hands up in surrender, obviously placating him, but Johnny let him get away with it. Putting his hands on his hips, he eyed the stairs, then Daniel’s braced leg. “Are you sure you should do it?”

“I’ll be fine,” Daniel assured. He grabbed the crutches which Johnny had laid to the side, then began to leverage himself off the couch. Johnny immediately went to help, lowering Daniel’s leg to the floor so he didn’t put more strain on the injury by trying to do it himself. “And besides,” he continued as they moved towards the stairs, “the only place to sleep down here is the guest room, and that’s where you’re sleeping. And, before you say it, no, I’m not taking the guest room and leaving you to sleep on the couches, alright? I’ll be fine with the stairs.”

Johnny followed Daniel to the master bedroom in silence, doing his best to control his knee-jerk reactions whenever it looked like Daniel struggled or might fall. Unless he wanted to confess everything, he _really_ had to stop being so overprotective. So, he did his best, rolling his eyes as Daniel’s breathing got heavier and his steps became less sure. Yeah, the man could make it up the stairs, but there was no doubting that he shouldn’t have. How had Amanda allowed him to do this?

Once in the bedroom, Johnny was gratified to see Daniel head straight for the bed. He followed close behind, ready to place the crutches against the wall whenever Daniel was done with them. As Daniel shifted onto his good leg, using the crutches to help him balance, Johnny held out his hand and helped slowly lower Daniel onto the mattress.

“You need anything else before I go?” he asked, once again helping support the injured leg while Daniel pivoted so he could lay down.

“Any chance you’re going to stop being so overprotective?” Daniel quipped, his eyes already closed.

Johnny chuckled, moving some pillows beneath the leg to elevate it. The doctor at the hospital had mentioned surgery, but they needed the swelling to go down before that could be truly determined. Something in the way Daniel had set his jaw said there would be a fight if it became a certainty, but it was a fight Johnny was more than willing to win.

“Not a chance,” he answered, turning off all but the bathroom lights. Should Daniel have to get up in the night, Johnny didn’t want to run the risk of him tripping over something. He cracked the door, leaving the room fairly dark and hoping Daniel would crash and feel better in the morning, but only time would tell for that. “Get some rest, man,” he said, barely refraining from brushing his hand along Daniel’s forehead.

“Thanks, Johnny,” Daniel muffled, two seconds from falling asleep. “I’m glad you’re my friend.”

Too choked up to respond, Johnny closed the door to a crack, allowing the thick wood to muffle the snores he could already hear coming from the bed. He was glad they were friends too, now he just had to wait and see if there could be more.

**TBC**

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> AN: I’m fairly certain the house is a one-story, but having it be a two-story worked better for my purposes, so I changed it up. Don’t hold it against me? 
> 
> AN2: I apologize if anyone is OOC throughout this entire fic. 


	3. Chapter 3

Seven hours later found Johnny, standing in front of Daniel’s fancy coffee machine, absolutely dumbfounded about how to work it. Johnny didn’t actually drink a lot of coffee - he preferred juice in the morning - but as this thing was in Daniel’s house, _he_ obviously did, so Johnny thought he’d get some going for when he went in to check on the injured man.

The night had passed neither quickly nor slowly for Johnny; it had been stilted. While the bed in the guest room was far superior to his bed back at the apartment, Johnny hadn’t really allowed himself to sleep. He’d spent the night listening, straining to hear any sounds from the master bedroom that would indicate Daniel needed help or was distressed. He heard nothing the entire night, leaving him on alert until his eyes closed. Then, he’d wake up an unknown amount of time later and repeat the process.

Johnny messed with the machine a little longer, completely lost on how to work the damn thing, then gave up. Where was Little LaRusso? Maybe she could work it. As there was no way in hell he would go searching for her room, let alone knock on the door, he resigned himself to checking on Daniel without a cup of joe as a peace offering.

It wasn’t until he started climbing the stairs and heard the jiggle in his pocket that he realized he’d kept the medicine Daniel was supposed to take for pain. In spite of how poorly he slept, he had been so tired when he’d finally found the guest room that he’d just shed his clothes without a thought to the sounds they made as they fell to the floor. Damn. With luck he hadn’t needed them, but Johnny doubted that wasn’t the case at all.

“LaRusso?” he called once he’d reached Daniel’s door rather than knocking. “You up?”

He waited until he heard a quiet, almost groggy, “Yeah,” before he opened the door and went in.

Daniel had definitely gotten up sometime during the night. Instead of lying down like Johnny had left him, he was now upright, leaning against the headboard, with pillows supporting his leg. A laptop lay beside him, open, but not on, and a pair of glasses lay off to the side of that. Did he know Daniel wore glasses? He couldn’t remember seeing him use them, but perhaps they were only for reading?

“Hey, man, how do you work that overpriced coffee maker?” Johnny asked, hoping to play today somewhat more sane than he did last night.

Daniel smiled. “It’s not a coffee maker, it’s an espresso machine,” he corrected, his head laid back and his eyes closed. “And I’ll head down in a bit and get it working.”

“You doing okay?” Something in the way Daniel just laid on the bed told Johnny that he was hurting, or tired, or both, so he decided to check.

“Yeah, I didn’t sleep well last night so I’m a bit tired.”

“You take anything yet?” Daniel opened his eyes and looked at Johnny, confused, so he added, “For the knee.”

“Oh, not yet,” was the answer as he once again closed his eyes. “The Advil is downstairs and we don’t have a spare bottle up here.”

Well, at least he was smart enough not to try and go get it himself, that was something.

“Well, luckily for you, I happen to have the stuff the doc gave you right here in my pocket.”

Daniel was already shaking his head. “I’ll stick with the Advil. I don’t like how numb that harder stuff makes me.”

“Yeah, well, something tells me the standard does of two isn’t gonna cut it, and I’m not letting you down four like you did last night, so you might as well take one of these so you can become a functioning human being.” He pulled out the medicine while he talked, holding onto it to ensure its safety.

Daniel re-opened his eyes, narrowing them as he studied Johnny. “You’re gonna force me to take those aren’t you?”

“You mean I’m not gonna let you stay in pain all day just because you feel like you can’t relax? Damn right. Kreese isn’t gonna do anything so soon after last night, man. He’ll be too busy being happy with what one of his kids did to want to try again.” Happy to see there was already a bottle of water on the nightstand, Johnny stepped forward and dumped one pill into his palm and held it out for Daniel to take. “So take the god damned pill, already, will you?”

His expression a mixture between indulgent patience and murder, Daniel reached out, grabbed the pill and popped it into his mouth. Once his hand was free, Johnny grabbed the bottle of water and opened it, having it ready for Daniel to use it to swallow the pill down. Once that was done, he continued standing over the man, his arms crossed until Daniel, whose expression no longer held any patience, opened his mouth, proving he’d actually swallowed it. Satisfied, Johnny placed the pill bottle onto the nightstand, then backed off.

“I thought they only did that to mental patients,” Daniel said, placing the water bottle back onto the nightstand.

“Yeah, well, when you have a patient who is refusing to take care of himself via properly managing pain, then it happens to them too.” Unsure where to go or what to do in the room, Johnny crossed his arms again, leaning against the wall closest to Daniel’s side of the bed. “What’s with that, anyways?”

“What’s with what?” Daniel asked, looking thoroughly confused.

Johnny took a minute to answer, wanting to make sure he asked the right question the right way. He would have just blurted out something about Daniel keeping himself in pain, or about him being a masochist or something, but he was fairly certain there was more to it than that; Daniel had never been a wimp, but he also hadn’t seemed the ‘tough it out’ type either.

“Why do you keep trying to downplay your injury?”

Daniel’s brows furrowed. “I’m not.” Johnny glared at him and he repeated, “I’m not.” He sighed, “Look, this isn’t the first time this has happened to me.” When Johnny raised an eyebrow at him, he amended, “Okay, yes, this is the first time it’s been this bad since the car accident I was in eleven years ago, and the method used was wildly different than the other times, but even so, I’ve lost count how many times I’ve injured this knee over the years. This is just another tally on the wall.”

“And this being ‘another tally on the wall’ means you shouldn’t take care of yourself or that you should keep trying to convince everyone that you’re fine when it’s obvious you’re not?” Johnny countered. So what if it was an every day kind of thing for him! This was _Johnny’s_ first time seeing it, and if her Bambi-wide eyes were anything to go by, it was Samantha’s first time without her mother around to wrangle her father.

Daniel sighed, the sound full of frustration. “That’s not what I’m doing-”

“Except it is,” Johnny argued, feeling a little frustrated himself.

“Not on purpose!” Daniel snapped, his voice coming out in a growl that was pure anger. Johnny watched him take a deep breath, presumably to calm down, then he continued, “All I’m saying, is that, while I appreciate where it’s all coming from, I don’t need all this extra care.”

Doing his best not to be offended, Johnny straightened. “Okay, so then answer this, honestly.” He waited for Daniel’s nod, then he asked, “Do you seriously think you can do everything that you used to do on your own? No,” he held up a hand to stop Daniel from answering instinctively, “think about it. How easy is it for you to reach down to, I dunno, take off the brace so you can get dressed? You obviously got up last night by yourself, but how much did it cost you to do that? And getting up the stairs? Come on, man, I know that you made it, but you can’t honestly tell me that it was easy to do.” He waited a minute, waited for realization to dawn on Daniel’s face, then he said, “Now, wouldn’t it be easier if you just let someone help you?”

At that, Daniel’s expression crumbled. “I can’t ask you to do that.”

“You’re not. Hell, I’m barely offering, I’m straight out telling you to let me help.” He paused, hoping he was wrong in what he was thinking. Was it possible that Daniel wasn’t comfortable with him being around so much? “Unless,” he said, drawing the word out, “there’s another reason you don’t want help?”

“I just,” Daniel sighed, looking like he didn’t really want to say what he was about to say. “I just don’t want to be a burden.”

Okay, that wasn’t what Johnny had been expecting. “Did Amanda ever make you feel that way?” And if she did, she is lucky she’s gone.

“What? No, God no. She took care of me as much as I would let her.”

“So then why would you think you are?”

“To you,” Daniel answered. “I don’t want to be a burden to you.” Johnny stared, dumbfounded. “Come on, Johnny, four months ago, we could barely have a civil conversation for more than five minutes. Now you’re expected to take care of me? No.”

Oh. Yeah, Johnny supposed that made sense. “Look,” he said unsure how to proceed. “I know we don’t have the best history. But, trust me when I say, I don’t mind helping out.” He waited on pins and needles while Daniel sat, staring at him. What he was looking for, Johnny didn’t know, but something like comprehension dawned on his face and he nodded his agreement. Johnny silently sighed, grateful that was over. “Great, has that pill kicked in yet?” Once again Daniel nodded, Johnny clapped his hands, heading for the bathroom. “Okay, so, what do you want to wear today?”

“Oh no, I agreed to your helping out, not to you digging through my closet,” Daniel argued.

Johnny ignored shuffling coming from the bedroom, maintaining course. He was more than a little curious as to what Daniel’s closet looked like. No doubt there were a ton of suits in it that could cover his rent for a year, but what else would there be? Would there be an empty spot where Amanda’s stuff used to be? Or would there still be some of her clothes left? Or did Daniel completely take it over now that she was gone?

The space was neat and orderly, much like Daniel himself was. There were a few boxes with Amanda’s name on them, but otherwise, any sign that she had been there was gone. Daniel’s clothes had their own side, and it was clear he didn’t have a need to move them over as they all had their own particular place. Shelving to the left of the doorway held multiple pairs of shoes, none of which could be called rugged, and most of which could feed Miguel’s family for several months.

“Will you get out?” Daniel asked, his voice sounding from the bathroom. “I’m perfectly capable of picking out my own clothes for the day.”

“Do you actually _use_ all this stuff?” Johnny asked, unable to picture it. No one needs that much clothing, do they?

“Just because your closet has the style of a spartan soldier doesn’t mean the rest of us don’t enjoy variety. Now will you leave? I want to shower before I dress.”

Since they hadn’t bothered with trying to change clothes last night, Daniel still wore the sweatpants and teeshirt from when he went to meditate. Personally, Johnny didn’t think he needed to shower, but he didn’t argue against it. He wasn’t entirely sure how Daniel was gonna manage that while keeping his weight off his leg, but since it was very obvious that the injured man had done this many times before, he assumed there was a method and so didn’t bring it up.

“You want me to take the brace off before I leave?” he offered, still standing in the closet.

Daniel looked down at the item in question, sat on the toilet seat, and sighed. “If you don’t mind?”

Johnny hated how hard it was for Daniel to ask for any sort of assistance from him, but he understood it. Had the situations been reversed, he’d be fighting it just as hard…and losing just like Daniel was.

Without a word, Johnny knelt on the tiled bathroom floor. Not wanting to risk hurting Daniel out of ignorance, he took a minute to look over the brace before he did anything. When they’d put it on at the hospital, Johnny hadn’t really paid attention to it; he’d just been glad they’d fixed the knee and given Daniel something for the pain. Now that he looked at it, he debated the best way to get this thing off Daniel’s leg. It wasn’t very big, it went maybe halfway up his thigh and down his calf, with a strap at the very top and bottom, and then one on either side of the kneecap. There was some sort of metal thing on either side, but Johnny had no clue what that was for.

“How do you want to do this?” he asked since he hadn’t a clue. He knew that loosening the straps would be the first step, but he didn’t know if it would be better to slide it off or dislodge the straps entirely and just, kinda, let it come off that way. Either way, he was fairly sure the process wouldn’t be comfortable.

“I think it’ll be easiest to undo the straps entirely.”

“Okay.” Wanting to make sure the leg would be supported while he did this, Johnny guided Daniel’s foot to come rest on his thigh, moving back a little when Daniel hissed in pain. “So, how often does the old injury act up?” he asked, wanting some sort of distraction for the both of them. Though he didn’t know why, he was nervous and his heart was racing as a result. Since it was entirely possible that Daniel was experiencing something similar, he figured small talk might be a good way to help them both relax.

“Like I said, I’ve lost count,” Daniel answered, groaning when Johnny loosened then freed the top and bottom straps.

“Anything in particular cause it?” Johnny asked, gathering data. If he could help prevent actions that made the knee ache, then it wouldn’t bother Daniel as often. Theoretically at least. His hand steady, in spite of his hammering heart, he began to undo the last two straps.

“Not really. Sometimes it can be too many kicks during training, sometimes it’s something simple as standing too long, and sometimes it’s something as stupid as bad weather rolling in.” He chuckled, looking embarrassed when Johnny looked up at him. “Yes, I’ve become an old man.”

“You’re not that old,” Johnny said, refusing to admit that. If Daniel was old, so was he and he would absolutely not admit that. Once the straps were freed the brace didn’t fall right off and Johnny frowned.

“You’re going to have to loosen it,” Daniel offered. “My leg’s still a little too swollen; it won’t come off without help.”

“You mean you want me to _pry_ this thing off your leg?” Johnny asked, horrified at the thought. “No way, man.”

“Come on, Johnny, it’s the only way I can take a shower or a bath. I can’t get this thing wet, it would stink, trust me.”

“Well then I guess you aren’t getting clean today because I am not gonna force it off.” Johnny had already begun redoing the straps so that by the time he was done talking, he had successfully re-secured the brace too. Leaving Daniel’s foot where it was, Johnny sat back on his heels and crossed his arms over his chest. “The best I can offer is a new pair of sweats, since I’m fairly certain that’s the only thing that would fit.”

Daniel also had his arms crossed over his chest, but he appeared to be pouting more than anything. Of course, _he_ wouldn’t think he was; he probably thinks he’s looking stern or something ridiculous like that, but he was totally pouting.

“Fine,” he agreed. “But _that_ I can do without your help.” At Johnny’s challenging eyebrow he huffed, “Well, mostly. Just, go sit on the bed and I’ll let you know when I’m ready for your help, alright?”

Johnny held his hands up in surrender and left. He thought about making some comment about not dying to see Daniel in boxers, or his naked legs, either, but he figured that would just make him more self-conscious, so he held his tongue and did as he was told. Similar to the one in the guest room, the mattress in the master bedroom was heaven. He managed not to lay on top of it, but only just.

Inside the bathroom, he heard Daniel moving about. Most of it was just sounds of him going from the bathroom to the closet, or turning the sink on and whatnot, but every once in a while, he’d hear a hiss, letting him know the man had done something - accidentally or otherwise - he shouldn’t have. Knowing that Daniel was getting a little tired of the mother-hen-ing, Johnny refrained from asking after him, impatiently waiting to be called back in to help.

“Alright, Johnny,” Daniel said after another five minutes of moving around. “You can come back in.”

Daniel sat on the toilet seat, wearing a different shirt than what he’d gone in with, showing that he’d decided to change more than just his pants. His hair, which had been spiky from the bed, now lay flat, slightly curving over his forehead. He opted for a pair of jeans, rather than sweatpants, though, which had Johnny frowning. “Don’t worry,” he said when he noticed the frown, “they’re baggy enough to fit over the brace, I promise.”

Given how big they looked on his right leg, Johnny supposed he couldn’t doubt that, but even so, he wasn’t convinced. They did go well with the dark blue, button-down shirt he had on, though.

“Nice watch,” Johnny commented as he headed over. He was pleased to note that Daniel wasn’t wearing his wedding ring, which was nice. He had thought Daniel would need more time to mourn the relationship he’d spent over twenty years cultivating, but apparently under three months was the limit for him on that.

“Thanks,” Daniel said, his tone saying that Amanda got it for him, but he didn’t want to mention it.

Much like before, Johnny was nervous. He kept his actions slow, so that, if Daniel at all felt uncomfortable with anything, he’d have time to say something. Helping a man put on his pants wasn’t necessarily what one would call an intimate act, but somehow this felt like it.

He slipped the jeans on the right side down to the ankle, allowing the waist band to stretch far enough to reach the left side without making the injured leg do too much. With that done, he slowly lifted the jeans up, happy to see them slide over the brace with little-to-no resistance. He got the waistband high enough for Daniel to take over from there, then stepped back. “You want help balancing while you secure them?”

Daniel shook his head. “I’ve got it from here. Thanks.”

Johnny nodded. “I’ll see you downstairs,” he said, walking out. He had just started going down the stairs when he called, “And don’t forget the pills!”

He smiled when he heard Daniel cursing behind him. Yeah, he will happily get on Daniel’s every last nerve if it meant the man took care of himself.

**oOo**

Daniel picked the pill bottle up and put it in his pocket. He had no intention whatsoever of taking another pill, at least not until it was time for bed, but he knew that if he didn’t take it with him, Johnny would throw a fit. Since he wasn’t really in the mood to deal with yet another tantrum from Johnny, he did as he was told.

Man, what was with Johnny lately? Sure, he appeared to be protective of his friends - at least where Daniel was concerned - but even so it seemed a bit much…at least for Johnny.

Of the two of them, Daniel was definitely the natural caretaker. He was the one who bandaged up one of the kids if they got hurt; he was the one who made sure they were all doing okay and not freaking out or anything. Johnny was the ‘tough dad’ type. He’s the one who would tell a kid, ‘if you’re not dying, then you’re fine,’ and send the kid back for more. A lot of that, Daniel was sure, came from Kreese, but unlike Kreese, Johnny wasn’t ever really cruel about it. If he thought the kid was truly hurt, he’d change tactics and make up a reason to stop. Which made all of his behavior so…odd. Not that Daniel minded it, if he was being honest. Yes, it drove him crazy, but it was actually kind of nice having someone _want_ to take care of you.

While, what he’d told Johnny about not wanting to be a burden to him was true, it hadn’t been the whole truth. When they’d first gotten together, Amanda hadn’t seemed to mind taking care of him at all; she’d been sweet, and concerned, and patient - very similar to how Johnny was currently acting, actually. But, as the years went on, and their responsibilities grew, she seemed to find taking care of him while trying to balance everything else too much. In the most recent years, when the knee would end up hurting, he would take a personal day from the dealership and rest on his own. She always knew the reason for the personal day, so she’d do her best to attempt to take care of him when she got home, but he could tell she wanted nothing more than to tell him to take care of himself. He wondered when Johnny would get to that point…or if he would even stick around long enough to get there. 

What was he saying? Was he really comparing his _wife_ to Johnny? One he’d been in love with, the other was a friend. But then, there was something about Johnny’s expression when he’d been asking, no, practically _begging_ Daniel to let him help and take care of him, that spoke to something other than friendship. Could there be a chance for more between them?

Unsure of how to answer that, and needing more time to think about it, Daniel put that question on the back burner. Gathering his crutches, he leveraged himself off the bed and headed downstairs. Although he sure as hell wasn’t going to admit it, the stairs hand’t been a good idea last night. He had been so tired that he’d found it hard to navigate them without getting his foot caught on a stair and jerking his knee. Thankfully, Johnny hadn’t tried to carry him, but he had felt the man behind him, waiting to catch him should he fall. Fortunately, going down was easier than going up, but he knew he was going to have a hard time getting back to his room come the nightfall.

He found Johnny and Sam in the kitchen, chatting fairly easily for two people who hadn’t spent a whole lot of time around one another. They both looked at him when he entered, making him momentarily freeze on the spot under their scrutiny.

“Hey Dad,” Sam greeted, getting out of her chair and heading for the espresso machine. She leaned against the counter while she waited for the coffee to brew and looked him up and down. “You look better. How are you feeling?”

“Better than what?” Daniel asked, heading for the chair at the table that Johnny had pulled out for him. Ordinarily he would have remained standing, maybe even cooked breakfast, but he knew both were out of the question for the foreseeable future. Elevating his leg on the chair next to him, he said, “And, I’m fine, thank you.”

“Better than you did last night,” Sam clarified, handing him the now poured espresso.

“Did I look bad last night?” he asked, a little worried that he had. He’d hoped to be putting on a good front, showing her that he was okay, but perhaps he hadn’t done any such thing?

“No, just tired and in pain.” She sat down opposite him, her own cup of espresso in her hand. Her eyes scrunched as she took a sip. Was she smiling or wincing? “She kicked you pretty hard.” Daniel frowned, not connecting the dots. She tapped the side of her eye. “The bruise, it looks pretty painful.”

“To be honest, I forgot it was even there,” he said, smiling, then wincing when a sharp pain went through his cheek. Right. Should avoid doing that for a little while. Compared to the pain from his knee, he honestly didn’t feel much at all. He hadn’t even realized he had bruises on his side until he’d undressed and looked in the mirror above the sink. “What time are the kids coming over?” he asked, changing the subject; he didn’t need either one of them to think too much about what he meant.

“Two hours,” Johnny answered, standing at the head of the table with a glass of juice in front of him. Curiously, there wasn’t any sign that he’d had a cup of coffee. Had he been trying to make some just for Daniel?

Daniel nodded. “Can I use your phone to call Robby?” When Johnny raised his eyebrows at him, Daniel added, “My phone is still at the dojo and yours has his number on it.”

“Yeah, but first, I think we should discuss your recovery options.”

Daniel looked at Sam, not wanting her to be a part of this, then looked back at Johnny. “What about my recovery options?” he asked, faking ignorance. They’d actually discussed some of this on the way back to the house last night, but obviously Johnny wasn’t done arguing about it… _and_ he meant to bring Sam into it.

“Why don’t you want the surgery, man?” Johnny asked, sounding like he truly didn’t understand. “I mean, from what little we’ve discussed, that knee has been hurting you long enough. Don’t you think it’s time to get it fixed?”

“I’m not gonna discuss this with you,” Daniel answered, _really_ not wanting to get into this again. “Not here. Not now.”

“Wait, there’s a surgery that could fix your knee?” Sam asked, sounding hopeful.

“ _Maybe_ ,” Daniel said, throwing a small glare at Johnny. “The doctor said that it could _maybe_ fix it.”

“So, what, you don’t want to take that chance?” Johnny argued, his tone casual.

“Like I told you last night, I’m not going to invest in a longer recovery time for something that may or may not work.”

“How much longer are we talking?” Sam asked, looking at Johnny. Great, were these two gonna talkabout him like he wasn’t here too?

“That’s the timeline I mentioned last night,” Johnny admitted. “As it is right now, he’d be ‘recovered’ before the tournament. He runs the risk of less mobility than he currently has, and more chronic pain, if he does it that way, though.”

“Dad,” Sam began, but Daniel cut her off. “-Sam, no. I’m not going to leave you kids vulnerable to have elective surgery.”

“Leave them vulnerable, what are you talking about? They’d still have me.”

“Do you honestly think you can prepare all of the kids for the tournament, or what might follow afterwards?” Johnny’s expression saddened and Daniel sighed. “That’s not what I meant. Johnny, I’m not even sure if we can handle it between the two of us. Some of these kids need real help and training, but we can’t just focus on them and let the others fall between the cracks. And the same could be said in reverse.”

“You really think Kreese is that big of a threat?” Johnny asked in a tone that said he was finally beginning to understand the stress Daniel was feeling.

“I don’t know, alright? A part of me says he’s a bigger threat than we’re giving him credit for, but I honestly can’t tell if that’s the truth or the fear talking.”

The more he talked, the more anxious he became. Yes, he was afraid. Afraid he’d fail the kids again; afraid something like the fight at the school would happen again, only this time a kid would die and it would all lay on his shoulders. He was also terrified of Kreese. Not of the older man coming after him, no, thanks to Chozen he proved he could handle himself against him. But he was terrified of what Kreese could or would do to the kids, or even Johnny.

“The fear?” Sam asked, sounding alarmed. Daniel smiled at his daughter, hoping to put her at ease. His heart was beginning to race and he was finding it harder to breathe.

_Breathe Daniel-san._

What if Kreese goes after the kids, personally? Or tries to kill Johnny again and _succeeds_? Or…

“LaRusso?” Daniel heard Johnny’s voice, but he couldn’t focus on it. His mind kept going round and round with what if scenarios, each one more dire than the previous, and more unlikely, but he couldn’t recognize their ridiculousness. All he could see was bodies everywhere and Kreese standing in the middle with blood on his hands. “Daniel!”

Daniel jumped, unused to hearing his name with that tone. It was similar to the tone Mr. Miyagi used when striking, but in a far rougher voice. He blinked, then breathed in, feeling as though he hadn’t taken a breath for some minutes. His heart was still hammering and his chest was still tight, but he felt like he _could_ breathe, thankfully.

Looking around, he found both Johnny and Sam staring at him with both fear and worry on their faces. _Jesus, get a grip LaRusso, this isn’t the Vietnam war._ Not that he would know what that was like - he hadn’t even been born yet- but he’d seen pictures and heard stories.

“Sorry,” he said, thoroughly embarrassed.

He would have said more, but Johnny stopped him by saying, “Sam, can you give your dad and I a minute?”

She looked like she didn’t really want to leave, but she also knew when an adult was politely telling you to get out, so she stood. “Yeah.” She then looked down at Daniel and said, “Let me know if you need anything.”

Daniel smiled, hating that he’d added one more thing for her to worry about. “I’ll be fine, Sam,” he said, actually meaning it. He _would be_ fine; he had to be. She needed him to be.

Johnny took her place at the table, looking like he wanted to be closer but didn’t know how to go about making that happen. “Are you okay?”

“I’m fine,” Daniel repeated with emphasis. “Sorry, I don’t know what that was.”

“Oh you don’t know what that was?” Johnny repeated. “Cause to me, it looked like you having a mild panic attack over an old man. Are you seriously that worried about Kreese?”

“No, and, look, I know it’s ridiculous to be so paranoid over him. Honestly, I think it’s just the stress of everything getting to me. I’m fine.”

“Okay, but see, you can’t just say that you’re under a lot of stress and then say you’re fine. It doesn’t work that way.”

“Johnny, I promise, I’m not losing it over Kreese. I had a nightmare last night, and it’s still lingering.”

“Well which is it, LaRusso? Are you under a lot of stress or is it a lingering nightmare?”

“Why can’t it be both?” Daniel countered, growing angry. He would have jumped up and leaned against the table if he could have. As it was, he was forced to sit and try not to move too quickly or too much. Damn, this knee was gonna be the death of him one way or another.

“I’m not tryin’ to grill you, okay?” Johnny assured. “I just want to make sure that you are actually okay and not just lying about it to make it go away.”

 _Was_ he okay? Daniel honestly didn’t know anymore. He definitely needed sleep, that was for sure. “I’m okay,” he said, believing it to be true. “There’s just-”

“-A lot going on right now, I know. It’s why I sent you to Miyagi-do last night.”

“And we see how well _that_ turned out.”

Johnny smiled, but it didn’t reach his eyes. “Alright, look, you make your call to Robby. I’ve got some things I want to set up in the living room before you settle in.”

“‘Settle in’, Johnny you can’t be serious. I can’t stay in the living room the entire day.”

“Who said anything about the entire day?” Johnny asked, pushing away from the table and heading for the doorway. “I plan on you living on the first floor until you’re healed enough to be off the crutches.”

“Oh, for the love of…” Daniel didn’t bother finishing the sentence. No one besides him was there to hear it anyways, so what was the point. He had to find a way to talk Johnny out of that idea, but he didn’t have a clue how.

That was a problem for another time, because right now, he had a phone call to make. He only hoped Robby was in a receptive mood.

**TBC**


	4. Chapter 4

Robby had just finished some light training when his phone started to ring. Although it was already past ten in the morning, he hadn’t actually been up that long. After Mr. LaRusso and his dad had left, it had taken him a while to go to sleep. He’d been too keyed up to be able to do more than pace for a long time. Then, when he’d started to feel a little worn out, he’d locked up the gate to the driveway, then the fence to the yard, and had searched out a good place for him to set up camp. It had still been well past three before he’d finally succumbed to sleep.

When his dad’s name flashed on the screen, Robby’s brows furrowed. “Hello?”

_“Robby?”_

Robby sighed upon hearing Mr. LaRusso’s voice on the other end. While he still wasn’t sure if he could forgive or trust his former sensei, he’d been worried about him ever since he’d left. A leg injury definitely wasn’t anything the man would die from, but even so, seeing how much pain he’d been in had been hard.

“Mr. LaRusso?” he answered. “Why are you calling from my dad’s phone?”

 _“Because you, technically, have mine.”_ Oh, right. _“Speaking of, is there a time that it would be alright to have your dad or Sam come and pick it up?”_

“It’s your dojo,” Robby said, not understanding why he was asking permission to visit it.

 _“That dojo is for everyone,”_ Mr. LaRusso gently corrected. _“It’s a place of safety and learning for anyone willing to search for it. And, right now, it’s your place of safety.”_

“You do realize I’m not staying, right?” Robby clarified. “Once I pack up my things, I’m gone.”

 _“I know, and it’s completely up to you where you go and what you do,”_ Mr. LaRusso assured, _“but, I also want to make sure you’re aware that you’re welcome to stay there, even if it’s only at night, for as long as you wish.”_

Refusing to touch on that subject, Robby clenched his jaw. “Is there something I can do for you, Mr. LaRusso?”

There was a pause on the other line then, _“Last night, you wanted us to update you. Is, is that still true?”_ Robby wanted nothing more than to say yes, but he was also very aware that any positive feedback he gave might give the wrong impression, so he found himself torn. _“Okay, well,”_ Mr. LaRusso said on a sigh when his silence dragged on a little too long, _“beyond that, I wanted to check and see about getting the phone picked up.”_ The way his breath hitched at the end, made Robby think he wanted to add more, but he refrained and kept quiet.

Feeling like he was being a jerk unnecessarily, Robby sighed. “No, I do still want to know what the doctors said,” he assured, hoping he didn’t sound too eager. “I’m sorry,” he added. “I just…”

 _“I get it, Robby. It’s okay.”_ Another sigh. _“I know that I betrayed your trust when I called the cops on you.”_ Well that was putting it mildly. _“And, I know that I haven’t really given you one good reason to trust me from the day we met, and for that, and so much more, I am so very sorry.”_ Robby looked towards the koi pond, the reaction instinct since Mr. LaRusso couldn’t actually see the tears that welled in his eyes. _“While I would definitely prefer it if you didn’t, I would understand if you ran and never talked to us again. But, Robby, you’ll always have a home here. Even if it means you don’t talk to me, look at me, or acknowledge I exist, you’re_ always _welcome here.”_

As a tear leaked down Robby’s cheek, he brushed it away as fast as he could. Mr. LaRusso was right. He did feel betrayed. The problem was, that as abandoned and unwanted as he felt, he still cared. He cared whether or not Sam and her father were hurt, and he cared about if they were happy. Both Sam and Mr. LaRusso had proclaimed to care about him as well once. From the earnestness he heard in Mr. LaRusso’s voice, that still held true, but Robby wasn’t ready to let himself believe it.

There was a scuffle on the other end, with Mr. LaRusso’s voice distantly saying, _“Hey!”_ then his dad’s voice came on the line. _“Hang on, Robby, I’m making him move to the living room.”_

Robby’s eyebrows rose. “Why are you _making_ him move?”

_“Because the idiot is too self-sacrificing to do it on his own. He’d prefer sit at the uncomfortable kitchen table and talk to you rather than pause the conversation and move to a place that’s far better for him.”_

At that, Robby’s brows furrowed. He’d sat at that kitchen table quite often, and he hadn’t ever really found it to be that uncomfortable. And why would sitting there be bad for Mr. LaRusso?

“Tell Mr. LaRusso I’ll bring his phone by soon,” Robby said, wanting to end the conversation. If there was one thing his old sensei was a master at, it was being sincere in the moment and convincing a person he felt more than he did. Robby suspected that if he allowed Mr. LaRusso to get back on, he’d end up agreeing to, not only staying, but to falling for both his dad’s and Mr. LaRusso’s false promises again and he really didn’t want to get sucked back in.

 _“Okay, kid,”_ his dad answered, sounding almost absentminded. _“I want to warn you - we’re having a dojo meeting here, so all the kids from both dojos will be here when you get here.”_

Anger and pain rose in Robby’s chest, “Do you not want them to see me?”

 _“What? No, hell no, nothin’ like that,”_ his dad said way more vehemently than he had expected. _“No, I just wasn’t sure if you would be comfortable being around them, so I wanted to give you a heads-up just in case.”_

Oh. Yeah, that made sense too. “I’ll be fine,” Robby declared, hanging up before his father could say anything else.

He briefly thought about going back to training, preferring to try and get his mind back in balance before he continued on with his day, but Mr. LaRusso’s words kept running through his head on repeat, like a hamster on a wheel, distracting him.

‘ _You’re always welcome here.’_

Was he though? Robby wasn’t childish enough to only focus on what his father and Mr. LaRusso had done to him; he’d done things to them as well. Although he viewed it all from a very different perspective than the two men no doubt did, Robby knew, on some level, that they both felt betrayed by him as well. The shit he’d pulled when he’d first met Mr. LaRusso didn’t even come into play. While neither man had ever explicitly told him what Mr. Kreese had done to them to make them hate him so much, Robby knew that he had done _something_ and, judging by the expression on Mr. LaRusso’s face when he’d stood by Mr. Kreese, he’d hurt them when he’d joined Cobra Kai.

How then, would any of them react to him being in their space? At this point, he wasn’t even worrying about Sam or Miguel; all three of them had their own shit to work through, and he didn’t doubt they would, possibly violently, but their time wasn’t yet. Mr. LaRusso seemed to have a forgiving heart, so robby wasn’t quite as worried about him. His father, on the other hand, was another matter entirely. Hell, did his father even care about him, or was he participating in all of this for Mr. LaRusso’s benefit alone?

 _Well, I’m not gonna find any answers out here,_ he thought, staring at the serenity around him. With a huff of frustration, Robby went to get changed. Might as well take the phone over now and get it out of the way. Maybe by then he’d have some answers for himself on what he wanted to do with his life?

Robby snorted. He’d had 16 years to try and figure that out and so far, he’d come up blank. The one and only thing he’d ever found peace in was karate. Well, perhaps, he could start with that? After all, with Mr. LaRusso injured, the two dojos were going to need someone to fill in. Yeah, he could work with that. Now it was time to see if The Dads agreed. 

**oOo**

Johnny stared at the phone as the line went dead. _What the hell was that?_

“What?” Daniel asked him, his gaze obviously catching something in Johnny’s face that made him sense things weren’t normal.

Refusing to give the injured man one more thing to worry about, Johny shook off his own worry and put his phone back into his pocket. “Nothing. Robby said he’d bring the phone by soon.”

“What time is ‘soon’?” Daniel asked, using the crutches Johnny had handed to him a few seconds ago and using them to leverage himself off the kitchen chair.

“What do I look like, the clock with random times on it?” Johnny snapped, though there wasn’t any heat in his voice. “The kid said soon, so it means soon.”

“Did you let him know about the meeting?”

Johnny rolled his eyes at the back of Daniel’s head. He wanted nothing more than to shatter LaRusso’s dream of Robby re-joining them since it was never going to happen - Robby didn’t forgive easily - but he found he couldn’t do it. Not only would Daniel’s ever-present optimism constantly break through, but Johnny just didn’t want to crush the shorter man like that. Johnny was fine with living in reality, so long as it meant LaRusso didn’t always have to.

“I warned him that the other kids might be here when he shows up, yes,” he answered as they entered the living room.

Daniel stopped moving the minute he’d crossed the threshold, so Johnny moved to his right side as he awkwardly stood, gaping at the sight in front of him.

When Johnny had left to ‘prepare’ the living room, he hadn’t really done much to it. He’d brought in one of the ottomans from the patio outside and set it in front of the armchair which faced the front of the house, and had Little LaRusso run up and grab a couple pillows from the master bedroom, but that had been all. The way Daniel was looking at it, though, made it seem he’d completely rearranged shit and bought new furniture.

“Why is that in here?” Daniel asked, sound scandalized.

“Because you don’t really have something in here to put your feet on and you need something to elevate your leg with,” Johnny answered, positive it should have been obvious. Daniel opened his mouth, presumably to argue, but Johnny talked over him, “Don’t worry, princess, I cleaned it off; there aren’t any bugs or nothing on it.”

LaRusso looked over at him with a rumpled expression and Johnny just smiled back at him. He loved how easy it was to get on Daniel’s nerves. His expressions were always worth it, every time.

“And my pillows?” Daniel added, his eyes widening.

“Are better for your leg than the throw pillows, Dad,” his daughter answered, holding onto said pillows.

Johnny watched Daniel open his mouth, his expression saying he was fully prepared to fight them on everything, then close it. His face relaxed in resignation and he sighed. Without a word, he headed for the armchair. Samantha pulled the ottoman out a little ways so he wouldn’t trip over it while he sat down. Johnny smiled at Daniel’s affronted look as she placed the bedroom pillows on top of the ottoman while she pulled it out. God, he was such a priss.

As the two of them got Daniel settled, the doorbell rang, making all of them freeze in place. None of the kids were expected to be here so soon, but that didn’t mean that one of them hadn’t shown up early. “Five bucks says it’s Demetri or Miguel,” he said before anyone else could.

“You’re on,” Daniel said just as his daughter opened her mouth to answer. The confidence Johnny could hear in the other man’s voice made him think Daniel knew who it was, but he let it be, enjoying the playful glint in the brown eyes. “Sam, would you mind letting Robby in?”

At the mention of his son’s name, Johnny’s heart skipped a beat. He hadn’t expected the kid to make it here quite so fast. In fact, he’d counted on him not making it here until everyone else had been and possibly gone. Not that he truly cared _when_ the kid showed up; he’d really just wanted more time to prepare what he would say once he had.

“Sure, Dad,” Samantha answered, looking about as unready for Robby to be here as Johnny felt.

Using the arms of the chair, he positioned himself so he was fully in it, then he raised his leg onto the ottoman. Guess taking one of the good pills meant he didn’t really need much of Johnny’s help after all. “Pay up, Johnny,” Daniel said with a self-satisfied smile on his face, holding a hand out for the money.

Johnny placed the crutches against the side of the chair, then scooted the ottoman closer and arranged the pillows under Daniel’s knee, adding one throw pillow when the injured man winced, just for good measure. At the front entrance, he heard Robby’s voice, asking for Daniel, and he sighed. “I call disqualification,” he griped as he handed the $5 bill over. “You cheated.”

“I would never cheat,” Daniel answered, pretending to look hurt by the implication and taking his winnings. Johnny laughed since, it was actually true. As far as he knew, Daniel hadn’t cheated at anything.

“Mr. LaRusso?” Robby’s voice was so timid, it hurt Johnny a little to hear. He sounded like the smallest thing would send him running, and, though Robby had stayed at the dojo last night, Johnny wasn’t entirely sure the kid wouldn’t run right back to Kreese.

Johnny moved so that his back wasn’t to his son, coming to stand behind Daniel’s right shoulder and allowing Daniel to take the lead in the conversation since he seemed to know what to say to the kid and Johnny never did.

“Robby, thanks for bringing that over,” Daniel said, taking the phone that was held out to him. There was a false cheer in his voice that made Johnny wince. No doubt if he heard it, Robby could too and might think he wasn’t actually wanted. “Are you hungry? Have you eaten?”

“No, I’m not hungry.” Robby’s stomach growled then, and they all pretended they didn’t hear it. The kid fidgeted a little, looking uncomfortable. “H-how are you?”

“I’m okay,” Daniel answered, not entirely lying, but definitely not telling the whole truth. “Thanks for stepping in when you did, otherwise that may not have been the case.”

Robby nodded, then shrugged. “I’m sorry I didn’t stop it sooner,” he said, his manner penitent.

It almost felt like when a child has wronged a parent and is now apologizing for it - a thought that made Johnny’s blood boil. _He_ was Robby’s father, _not_ Daniel. So what if Daniel had been more of a father to Robby in less than one year than Johnny had been Robby’s entire life? Robby was still _his_. 

“Hey, don’t worry about it,” Daniel reassured, his tone understanding. “What matters is that you did stop it. Not how long it took.”

“Your leg okay?” Robby asked, his gaze traveling to the limb in question before going back to Daniel’s face.

“It will be,” Daniel answered, and Johnny had to bite his tongue to keep him from adding on to that. “With time.”

“Time you guys don’t have with Mr. Kreese.” Although Robby probably hadn’t meant it as a threat, Johnny took it as one. One look to his left told him that Sam had too. Obviously sensing that something had changed, Robby looked at the both of them, then smiled wryly. “If I was here for Mr. Kreese, I would have done something already.” He focused back on Daniel, the hesitance in his posture slowly being replaced with confidence. “All I meant was, Mr. Kreese has a dojo full of kids that he’s been training non-stop since you guys fought. Tory is one of his best students, but there are others that are almost just as good as her, and definitely just as ruthless.”

Johnny placed a hand on Daniel’s shoulder, hoping to provide some reassurance in the face of some of his fears being confirmed. Robby’s brows furrowed, his head slightly tilting as though he didn’t know what to make of that action. His gaze went back and forth between Johnny and Daniel for a minute or so, then he smiled, the expression looking the warmest Johnny had seen it on his son’s face in a long time.

“What?” Daniel asked confusedly, obviously catching Robby’s smile but not understanding it.

“Nothing,” Robby answered with a shake of his head and wiping the smile off his face.

“What’s your point?” Samantha asked, not unkindly, steering the conversation back on topic.

When he looked at her, Robby’s expression was cold and angry. Last Johnny had known, they’d been friends. What had happened to change that?

“My point is, with Mr. LaRusso hurt, you guys will need help.”

“You think you can replace my father?” Now, she sounded angry.

“No,” Robby answered, sounding like he thought the idea ridiculous. Good, no one could replace Daniel; he was irreplaceable. “But, if allowed, I could help with some of the less experienced students so that my dad could train the ones that have a real chance of winning the tournament.” His gaze flicked towards Little LaRusso, showing he meant her with that comment.

“You want to help us?” Johnny asked, not fully grasping the concept. “I find that hard to believe, since last we knew you were all gung-ho to join Kreese in his army.” Upon seeing Robby’s posture harden, Johnny winced. One of his many flaws was that he never could say the right thing at the right time.

“Everyone’s made mistakes,” Robby replied, focusing on Johnny and Daniel alone. Since he couldn’t see him, Johnny couldn’t tell how Daniel reacted, but Johnny definitely briefly ducked his head in shame. That was the understatement of the decade for him.

“Yes we have,” Daniel agreed, apparently not shying away from the truth. Well that made one of them. “Does this mean you’re willing to let us try and earn your trust back?” Again with the hopeful tone. Johnny shook his head. How did LaRusso manage it?

“I honestly don’t know if that’s possible,” Robby admitted, and Johnny saw Daniel nod, accepting the answer. “But, if you guys are willing to be honest with me, and try, then I’m okay with letting you.”

“And me?” Samantha asked, inserting herself into the new equation. “Where do we stand?” Her tone was almost a challenge, but her expression was anything but. She looked genuinely anxious to know what he would say to that.

Robby took awhile to answer that. His expression never changed as he stood in silence, no doubt thinking on what he would say, but something told Johnny there was an inner war being fought and the winner would be the one to decide. “We’re friends,” he eventually answered, looking neither upset nor happy with the decision. “Nothing more. Nothing less.” He held out his hand to her. “Clean slate.”

Samantha smiled. “Clean slate,” she agreed, taking his hand and shaking it.

“So, does this mean that you’re going to take me up on my offer for food?” Daniel asked, somehow conveying both confusion and happiness. “None of us really ate that much for breakfast, so there should be plenty of stuff left in the kitchen.”

Johnny noted that Daniel was careful not to ask after Robby’s living arrangements, even though Johnny knew he was dying to do it. One of the many things Daniel had talked about during their trip to the ER was where Robby would be staying - whether he would be warm or cold, hungry or fed, taken care of or neglected. Johnny had tried to give dismissive answers since he didn’t know anything more than Daniel did, but still, the injured man had worried and queried.

“I’m actually kind of tired,” Robby admitted. He ducked his head, looking as though he didn’t want to look at them as he asked, “Would it be alright if I slept in the guesthouse?”

Wait, there was a guesthouse too? Jesus, how big was this place?

“Of course,” Daniel granted. “You’re welcome to it for as long as you need it.”

“I’ll get some sheets, blankets and pillows,” Little LaRusso offered. “We, uh,” she looked down at her father, her expression uncomfortable, “we put Anthony’s bed in there when he left with Mom.”

At that bit of news, Robby’s eyes widened. Evidently he hadn’t known anything about Daniel’s family troubles. “Mrs. LaRusso left?” he asked, sounding like he couldn’t believe it. “Is she coming back?”

Johnny wanted to snap that, obviously she wasn’t coming back because they moved the damn bed into the guesthouse, but he held his tongue. The minute that Robby had asked, Johnny had felt Daniel stiffen. What, in particular, Daniel was feeling, Johnny didn’t know, but he did know he didn’t want to add to it.

“No,” Daniel answered on a sigh. “She’s not. She and Anthony moved to Boston. She found a job there, managing some advertising agency.” He inhaled deeply, then let it back out. “She and Anthony seem happy there.”

Robby looked at Johnny, a question in his eyes and Johnny shook his head. He didn’t know what his son wanted to ask, but he knew Daniel didn’t need more questions about his familial troubles. Robby looked at Daniel, his expression softening. “I’m sorry, Mr. LaRusso.”

“Thanks, Robby,” Daniel answered, sounding as though he were trying to put on a brave face for the kid. “I’m sure it’s for the best. Should things get too personal with Kreese, I don’t want my family getting any more mixed up in it than they already are.”

“That and he couldn’t get rid of me,” Samantha answered, smiling at her dad. She looked at Robby, not giving her father a chance to argue with her statement. “Why don’t you go get settled in the guesthouse? I’ll grab the stuff for the bed and meet you out there in a few minutes.”

“Okay.” Robby looked between Johnny and Daniel again, seeming unsure of what to say next.

“We’ll talk later, Robby,” Daniel assured, quickly adding, “If you want.”

Robby nodded, but said nothing before walking past them and out onto the patio.

Once he was gone, Daniel let out a heavy sigh. “You okay, LaRusso?” Johnny asked, going around so he could see the man’s face. He frowned after seeing how drained his friend looked. “What, were you holding your breath the entire time he was here?” he teased, his tone perhaps a little too sharp.

“Shut up,” Daniel answered with a small smile. “I didn’t realize how nervous I’d been about seeing him until he showed up.”

“Me either,” Johnny admitted, sitting on the corner of the coffee table. “But, it seems like it went pretty well.” Johnny allowed his gaze to linger on the patio where he’d last seen his son. He wished he could get a clean slate with the kid, too, but that, it seemed, was too much to ask for, although Daniel certainly seemed to have a decent shot.

“Much better than I thought it would, if I’m being honest,” Daniel agreed, laying his head back and closing his eyes. He sighed again. “I could use another cup of espresso.”

“Don’t look at me to make it for you,” Johnny declined, standing up as the doorbell sounded again. “I still don’t know how to work the damn machine.”

Johnny stood at the front door, just listening to Daniel laugh for a couple of minutes before he opened it. God, he loved that sound. Too bad he probably wouldn’t hear it for the rest of the day.

**oOo**

Daniel chuckled as Johnny headed for the door. It went on, perhaps, a little longer than it should have as the stress he hadn’t realized he’d had from talking with Robby leaked out of him, but since he didn’t hear Johnny complaining about it, Daniel tried not to care either. He shifted in the armchair to try and stop a backache from developing, but stopped with a wince when his knee pulsed with pain.

“Dad, you okay?”

Daniel sighed. He had been on crutches less than twelve hours and he was already getting sick of people asking him that. But, since it wasn’t likely to stop any time soon, he did his best to smile. “Would you mind handing me a pillow?”

“Sure,” Sam said, quickly doing as asked. When sounds of the other kids from the dojos came from the foyer, she sighed. “Hey, I could use some coffee. Do you want another cup?” 

“God, yes.” Daniel couldn’t help closing his eyes as he replied. He wouldn’t go so far as to say he was jonesing for another cup, but it wouldn’t be far off the mark, either. By the time he’d opened his eyes, she was gone and the dojo kids were filing in.

Miguel led, his expression far less confused than all the rest. Of course, he had the added benefit of partially knowing what was going on, but even so, he did seem wary. Behind him, Hawk and Demetri followed, the former with a sneer on his face and the latter looking around nervously. An unlikelier pair, Daniel couldn’t think of; then again, he hadn’t known them before Hawk had joined Cobra Kai so he couldn’t fully judge, could he?

“What’s going on?” Demetri asked as the rest shuffled in and spread out. He looked back and forth between Daniel and Johnny, his head moving as though it were on a swivel, before landing on Daniel. “Are you okay, Sensei?”

Before Daniel could say anything, Miguel’s back straightened and his expression became furious. “And why is _he_ here?”

It didn’t take a genius to guess that he had seen Robby, and Daniel sighed.

“Robby is here at Sensei LaRusso’s and my request,” Johnny answered, showing the former Cobra Kai students they were a united front. Gratitude flooded through Daniel as he looked at the blonde. While this wouldn’t automatically make them accept Robby - or accept his help - it would theoretically make it easier to keep a fight from breaking out. “We do not ask that you all become little girls and braid one another’s hair, but we do demand that you treat one another respectfully, is that clear?”

“YES SENSEI!”

The answer, like that of a battle cry, rang through the house, as well as through Daniel’s head in surround-sound. He winced at the volume, but let it go. Knowing how Cobra Kai - both old and new - had been run, he knew he wouldn’t be able to change that habit. To an extent, he wished they’d do it whenever he spoke, as well, but he knew the ex-Cobra Kai kids didn’t have the same respect for him that they did for Johnny, and probably never would. His style of karate seemed too passive, too weak, and for that, they would never hold him in the same regard.

“Good! Now, go get yourselves something to eat or drink so we don’t have to listen to you whine about how hungry you are.”

The kids didn’t race for the kitchen, but Daniel knew Johnny was right. Anytime a meeting happened at the house, the kids seemed to raid the kitchen and pantry before being able to focus on whatever it was they were supposed to be hearing. While they descended on his kitchen like a bunch of starving dwarves, Johnny headed for him. “Were you planning on doing something with that pillow, LaRusso, or did you just want to cuddle it?”

Oh. Right. He leaned forward, but was stopped from having to do more by Johnny taking the pillow out of his hands and putting it behind him. “A little lower,” he advised, waiting for it to support his lower back before he straightened. “Thanks.” He sighed as the dull ache started to ebb. “And thanks, for what you said about Robby. You showing support will go a ways to helping keep my furniture from being destroyed.”

Johnny didn’t answer. He didn’t even show that he’d heard. Daniel almost repeated what he said, but then he thought better of it. There was no way Johnny hadn’t heard him, which meant he’d intentionally not responded. It wasn’t Daniel’s place to force conversation about his son on him; not right now, at least.

“I’m gonna take a pee break. You need anything before I go?”

Unhappy, and more than a little confused, about the chilled tone Johnny was giving him, Daniel sighed. “No, thanks, I’m okay.”

While Johnny walked away, Daniel frowned, then laid his head back and closed his eyes. He would never have described Johnny’s behavior to him ever since he’d woken as cuddly, but there was definitely a coldness to it now that puzzled and, annoyingly enough, hurt him. Perhaps he’d gotten too comfortable with Johnny’s new attitude only for it never to have meant to be a permanent thing? Or had something happened during the morning to upset Johnny and this was how he was expressing it?

Thinking that the latter was more likely than the former, Daniel went through the events of the morning to see when the difference could be felt. Things made a little bit more sense when he realized the moment had been Robby’s entrance. The change wasn’t sudden, like something in Johnny snapped. More like, he had spent time thinking about things afterwards and hadn’t liked the answers he had come up with. How any of that tied into Daniel, he couldn’t tell. As far as he could see, Robby had been just as distant with him as he had been with his father. Sure, he’d asked after Daniel’s injury, but since they hadn’t actually updated him, that was only natural, wasn’t it?

“You okay, Dad?” Daniel sighed. He had to get them to stop asking him that. Somehow. He opened his eyes to find Sam staring down at him, a cup of espresso in her hands and a wince on her face. His brows furrowed in confusion. “You were rubbing your forehead,” she clarified, evidently guessing why he was looking at her like she was crazy.

He hadn’t realized he’d been doing that, but now that he was paying attention, his head was throbbing. “Yeah, I’m okay,” he answered, taking the cup from her. “Tension headache.” He didn’t get them very often, but he’d had enough of them to know what one felt like. “It’ll go away.”

Sam frowned, but didn’t argue with him. “When did you last take something for your knee?”

“Uhm,” Daniel’s brows furrowed as he thought, “a few hours ago, maybe?” He hadn’t exactly paid attention to the time with Johnny standing over him, looking like he’d been ready to make Daniel choke the pills down.

“Is that long enough to be safe enough for you to take some Advil now?”

Ah, now he knew what she was getting at. She hadn’t argued with him because she’d planned on making him take something for the headache. Smart girl. She must get it from her mother.

“Sam, I’m fine, really,” he insisted, placating her.

“That’s not an answer, Dad,” she said.

“The answer is, he’s about due for another round of the good stuff, but he won’t take it, so yes, you should give him some Advil.” Daniel glared at Johnny, who held a bottle of water in his hand and didn’t look the least bit sorry. How could the man be both a mother-hen and distant with him was baffling…and impressive.

“Alrighty then. I’ll just go, and-”

“-I’ve already got them,” Johnny assured, holding out his hand for Daniel’s mug and swapping it for the bottled water. Johnny handed the coffee to Sam, who took it, seemingly without thinking, then pulled a bottle of Advil out of his pocket. Dumping two into his palm then handing them to Daniel, he asked, “Is the headache why you winced earlier?”

“Partly,” Daniel admitted, though, he hadn’t realized the truth of that until now. “Mostly, it was just loud.”

They did the cup version of musical chairs again, with Daniel getting his coffee back and Johnny once again pocketing the Advil and holding onto the bottle of water, while Sam went and sat down on the sofa to his right. Seating was limited, and would fill up fast, so Daniel thought it smart of her to get a comfortable spot while she could.

“Should I send you all out to roll in some mud or can we get started?” Johnny called out to the students in the kitchen, making Daniel wince again. “Sorry,” he said in a much quieter voice.

“You don’t have to degrade them, you know,” Daniel lectured. Of all the disagreements they’ve had over the past few months, this was the one they kept having over, and over, and over. Daniel supposed it was his way of treating the kids like he was taught they should be treated, but that didn’t make it okay, and it certainly never meant that it settled well with Daniel.

Johnny shrugged. “They like it.”

“Not all of us do,” Demetri grumbled, sitting on the couch one space away from Sam.

“Take your fancy coffee and sit down, Buttercup,” was Johnny’s reply, making Daniel roll his eyes.

“So, is anyone gonna tell us what the hell is going on?” Hawk asked, walking back into the living room with the swagger of a kid who thought he knew everything and believed this place beneath him. Daniel tried not to take offense at his attitude, but it was hard. “I mean, not that it’s not nice to get out of that boring-ass backyard for a change, but there _is_ a reason you had us all meet here, isn’t there?”

Demetri rolled his eyes, pivoting on the couch as Miguel joined. “Sensei LaRusso’s hurt, you idiot. Obviously they brought us here to get a new training plan together.”

Hawk, who stood behind his friend, looked at Daniel, his eyes narrowing for whatever reason, Daniel couldn’t figure it out and didn’t try, then went back to his angry posture. This kid would be a good poker player, that’s for sure. He always looks pissed off. Daniel had yet to see him happy, or sad, or excited, only mad.

“Unfortunately, there’s more to it than that,” Johnny said, once again taking up his stance behind Daniel’s right shoulder. God, why did he have to make it sound like it was such a serious occasion? Again, Daniel rolled his eyes.

“It’s not that serious,” he said, but before he could say more, Johnny jumped back in with, “I think it is that serious. A member of Cobra Kai attacked you last night at _our_ dojo.”

This statement produced a myriad of responses, the least of those being from Hawk, whose forearms flexed like he was repeatedly making a fist, but otherwise showed now sign of having heard anything. The rest were an even mix between jumping up out of anger, ready for a fight, and shock. As the noise level increased, Daniel was suddenly very glad he’d taken the Advil.

“Who do they think they are, attacking on our turf?” Nathaniel raged, earning a round of nods from the those that were angry.

“Not just on our turf, but attacking our sensei,” Demetri added, adding more fuel to the flames.

Since he more than half expected them to, Daniel was surprised when none of the ex-Cobras claimed he wasn’t their sensei. Ever since they’d merged, there had definitely been problems with regards to who the kids would listen to. Each dojo had their preferred sensei, and though Johnny and Daniel had tried to insist they would both be in charge, each dojo of kids struggled to accept the authority of the other sensei.

The buzz in the room escalated from a low hum to something louder and angrier. Those that were spoiling for a fight began to get the others riled up as well, and Daniel’s heart sunk. These kids had so much anger in them, and it was Johnny’s and Daniel’s jobs as their sensei to teach them how to properly channel it. Yet, here they all were, egging each other on, entirely prepared to go out and get revenge for what had happened. He and Johnny and failed them once; they couldn’t do it again.

“Quiet!” Johnny snapped in his sensei voice, instantly silencing the buzz. Man, that was handy. Daniel _definitely_ needed to learn how to do that. “Sensei LaRusso and I didn’t bring you here and tell you this, just so you could react like children trying to take on the schoolyard bully.”

“But, they are bullies,” Demetri reminded, then quickly held up his hands in surrender and looked away.

“This attack was a message for me from John Kreese,” Daniel said, drawing all eyes back to him.

“How do you know that?” Miguel asked, settling back down.

“Because the person who attacked made sure to tell me before they ran off.” Daniel did his best to be careful with using pronouns. He didn’t want or need the others finding out who, precisely, had come. Sam’s reaction last night had been more than enough to convince him he didn’t need or want the others knowing.

Daniel glanced to his right to check on Sam. It hadn’t escaped him how quiet she’d been ever since this meeting had started, and he wanted to try and gauge how she was feeling and/or what she might be thinking. He was only marginally surprised to discover that she had, somehow, slipped out of the room without many, if anyone, noticing. He didn’t mind that she’d left; she already knew most of what would be discussed anyways.

Not wanting to draw attention to her, he turned his focus back onto the group. “Cobra Kai thinks we’re a threat,” he announced, taking some small amount of pleasure in the idea. “They think that if they weaken us, they have a better chance at winning.” 

“Is that what the message was?” Mikey asked, sounding doubtful.

“Not exactly,” Daniel hedged.

“So, then how do you know that’s what they think?” Miguel challenged.

“Because that’s exactly what Kreese thought the last time he had someone put Sensei LaRusso out of commission.”

“‘Out of commission’.” Demetri made a face. “Who says that anymore?”

“Kreese,” Daniel and Johnny said at the same time.

“Those were the exact words he used to my teammate back in ’84 when he wanted Sensei LaRusso out of the tournament,” Johnny added, definitely sounding angry. “Kreese had entered as many students as he could as a way to ensure Cobra Kai would win that year. When it looked more likely that LaRusso would win, he came up with a way that would mean LaRusso wouldn’t be able to continue the fight.” There was a pause, then, “Or so he had thought. He hadn’t counted on LaRusso being the stubborn bastard that he is.”

“Johnny,” Daniel said disapprovingly, hoping he hid how happy he was to hear pride in Johnny’s voice. The kids smiled, apparently appreciating Johnny’s representation of young Daniel. “The bottom line, is that if Kreese wasn’t worried about his chances in the All Valley, he wouldn’t have sent anyone. The fact that he did is a good thing.”

“Except that, now, you can’t help train us,” Chris pointed out.

“I’ll be unavailable for a few weeks,” Daniel granted.

“More like a few months,” Johnny interjected, placing a hand on Daniel’s shoulder and giving it a warning squeeze. Daniel tried to glare up at his friend and failed entirely.

“Well,” Demetri said, looking between the two of them, “which is it? A few weeks or a few months, because there’s quite a difference between the two.”

“They don’t know,” Sam answered, re-entering the room. “There’s a reconstructive surgery that Johnny wants my dad to do, but my dad doesn’t want to do it in case it doesn’t help.” Daniel threw her a glare, while also wondering how she learned what kind of surgery it was, and she shrugged, looking unapologetic. “I figured I’d do some research while you told them stuff I already knew.”

“Either way, Sensei LaRusso will be taking a step away from training,” Johnny said, returning to topic. “The students who plan to enter the All Valley Tournament will train with me.” A few of the kids didn’t look happy by that development, but they didn’t argue with the decision. “Those that need more help with be training with Robby.”

That caused an outcry that dwarfed anything that house had ever experienced before. No matter how short staffed they seemed to be, it was made very clear that none of these kids wanted to be taught by someone who had so recently joined Team Bad Guy. Daniel winced, the sound more than any amount of Advil could dull, and covered his ears as the kids continued to yell their disagreement.

“QUIET!” Johnny yelled over them, once again silencing them immediately. He started walking around the room, focusing more on those that railed the loudest as he continued, “This is not up for debate. As we have said, we are one sensei short. Now, I know Robby isn’t, and will probably never be, a sensei, but he is a damn good fighter and he is more than qualified to help train those of you that still can’t block worth a damn.”

“How can you even trust that snake?” Hawk sneered, eyes focused on the patio behind Daniel.

“We were all snakes once, or have you forgotten that?” Johnny answered, standing before his student and staring down at him until the kid looked away.

“Yeah,” Demetri said, his tone far too eager, “even Sensei LaRusso was once, right Sensei?”

“Bullshit,” Johnny called. He turned around to look at Daniel, his expression saying he thought this was some sort of joke, then stopped in his tracks when Daniel couldn’t give him any such confirmation.

“No, it’s true. Sensei told us shortly after someone from the Cobras trashed Miyagi-do,” Demetri defended, looking around at the others for confirmation.

Daniel saw an anger in Johnny’s eyes that he didn’t understand. The news surprising him, Daniel totally got, but the anger? _That_ was something that was wholly unexpected.

“Guys, why don’t we take a small break?” Daniel suggested, wanting to get to the bottom of what Johnny was feeling without an audience being present to see it. Something told him that Johnny was about to blow up on him which would ruin the united front they’d been trying to present to the kids.

“Woah, woah, no way,” Bert complained. “You can’t just say that Sensei LaRusso was Cobra Kai and then kick us out. We wanna hear this.”

The other kids nodded their agreement, a good portion of them seeming far more interested in the meeting now than they had been two minutes earlier.

“I promise I’ll explain when we reconvene,” Daniel placated.

“Or you can try to explain now,” Johnny said, stopping him from saying any more. “You can try to explain how you came into my dojo so full of anger and threats, how you did everything you could to ensure Cobra Kai didn’t get off the ground, and how you did it with that holier-than-thou attitude that seems to come so naturally to you, all while knowing damn well that you had been a Cobra yourself?" Johnny paused, the anger on his face making Daniel want to look away while the pain in Johnny's blue eyes held him transfixed. "I _really_ want to hear how you’re going to explain that. You sanctimonious sonofabitch!”

The room went still as Johnny finished talking. Those of the kids that had been idly paying attention were now wholly engrossed by what was going on between the two adults. Daniel saw them all out of the corner of his eye, excitement on their faces as they looked back and forth between him and Johnny. He din’t know what they were hoping for, but he did know they weren’t going to get whatever it was. Something to gossip about? Sure. Something to argue about between themselves? Most likely. But nothing more.

For awhile, Daniel said nothing. He knew he had a lot to answer for when it came to Johnny and Cobra Kai, just like he had a lot to answer for when it came to the mess the kids were currently in, but he didn’t know where to start. Did he start with when and why he joined Cobra Kai back in the 80’s? Should he start off by apologizing to Johnny and then move into that topic? It felt like any move he made would be the wrong one and he didn’t like it.

“My dad’s right,” Sam interjected, drawing the attention of everyone onto herself. “We could all use a break.” She looked directly at Johnny as she said it, making Daniel wonder if she really meant that everyone needed a break or just that Johnny did. Her expression was calm and sure, obviously hiding whatever she may have been feeling. “Let’s take five, and then meet back here.”

“Sounds good to me,” Demetri said, uncurling from his position on the sofa and standing up. “I’ve had to pee for the last fifteen minutes.”

“Oh, god, me too,” one of the other kids said, standing up and running for the half bath on the ground floor.

While the rest of the kids filed out, some heading for the kitchen, others heading for the front door, Daniel fumbled for the crutches that lay against the side of the chair. Awkwardly moving them around to the front, he sighed. “I know I have a lot of explaining to do,” he said, jumping slightly when Johnny helped lower his leg to the floor. Not that he was afraid of the younger man; he’d simply assumed Johnny was angry enough to make Daniel do things himself. “And I will do my best to do that, but first, I’m truly sorry for the way I acted when you started Cobra Kai.”

“Are you?” Johnny asked doubtfully. He sat on the ottoman, watching Daniel with skepticism.

“I know I was a real asshole from the get-go,” Daniel admitted. Using the crutches, he stood up, then slipped them under his arms. He had every intention of taking a bathroom break, just like the kids, but he planned on using the one in the master bedroom. “As much as I’d like to say that I had my reasons, honestly, there is no excuse for how I behaved. I should have been more open to the idea of you having your own dojo, or at the very least, stayed the hell out of it since it wasn’t any of my business in the first place. But I wasn’t and I couldn’t, and I hurt you in the process. I’m sorry, Johnny. Really.”

He stopped at the bottom of the stairs, not needing Johnny to follow him the entire way, and turned to look at the other man. Johnny’s expression was blank, giving him nothing to go on. Johnny’s eyes roamed over him, mainly staying focused on his face, but every once in a while they would go elsewhere. Daniel wished he knew what the other man was thinking, but beyond asking him outright, there was no way for him to tell.

“Don’t fall asleep up there,” Johnny said, his tone even while his eyes held Daniel in place. “There’s people down here anxious to hear what you’re going to say.”

He walked away without another word or look, leaving Daniel standing at the foot of the stairs with tears in his eyes. Although they hadn’t begun anything, Daniel was now worried they never would, that somehow he’d managed to mess that up before they’d even gotten started. God damn it!

Doing his best to appear as though nothing were wrong, Daniel headed for his bedroom, already working out what he’d say and where he’d start, because Johnny was right, there were many explanations to give and apologies to make, and Daniel sure as hell was going to get them done right.

**TBC**


End file.
